CoA says new BCCI constitution has no place for Jyotiraditya Scindia-headed finance committee

New Delhi: The Committee of Administrators (CoA) on Saturday said the finance committee, which is currently headed by Jyotiraditya Scindia, will cease to exist once the new constitution of the BCCI is adopted. [caption id=“attachment_3765483” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of CoA chairman Vinod Rai. AFP[/caption] The CoA, in a strongly-worded letter to the committee’s – BCCI treasurer Aniruddh Chaudhry – gave a detailed explanation of the scope and role of the sub-committee. The CoA issued an 11-point rebuttal to the committee’s query on its role. This comes after finance committee’s decision to put on hold – all the players’ monetary benefit related policies (including hike in women’s central contracts). Finance committee chairman Jyotiraditya Scindia had left last Thursday’s meeting early after posing a question about the “scope and role” of the committee and asked the CEO Rahul Johri to get clarification from the CoA. The letter, which is in possession of PTI, has 11 specific points. The most important is point No.10 which states: “Please note that the Finance Committee (as also various other committees) do not find mention in the list of committees included in the draft BCCI constitution that is in line with the recommendations of Hon’ble Justice Lodha Committee (as accepted by the Supreme Court). “Accordingly, the above position will continue only until the new BCCI constitution, as per reforms mandated by the Hon’ble Supreme Court, is adopted.” The letter, also in one way, vindicated Scindia’s doubts that the finance committee is merely a rubber stamp without much powers. A lot of points on the agenda during that meeting were included for ratification rather than discussion, which had irked Scindia and Co. In points 8 and 9, the CoA reminded committee members that there have been times when they have just ratified decisions of other committees rather than taking any decisions themselves. “Even decisions taken at the level of Hon. Treasurer have been placed before the finance committee for them to merely take note. Therefore, there is no occasion for any ‘confusion with regard’ to mandate of the finance committee,” it stated. The CoA also reminded Scindia and Chaudhry that the last finance committee meeting was held on 22 August, 2016, five months before the CoA came into effect. “Surely, it can’t be that no decisions having financial implication were taken during this period.” The COA, then in a sternly-worded Point 9, stated: “Therefore the Committee Of Administrators is not obliged to elicit the views of the Finance Committee on every decision, which may have financial implications on the BCCI, but may choose to refer specific issues/matters to elicit the views of the finance committee where the Committee Of Administrators considers necessary.”