{"id":1771,"date":"2026-08-29T08:37:06","date_gmt":"2026-08-29T08:37:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/2026\/08\/29\/bcci-legal-challenge-sports-governance-act-election-uncertai\/"},"modified":"2026-08-29T08:37:06","modified_gmt":"2026-08-29T08:37:06","slug":"bcci-legal-challenge-sports-governance-act-election-uncertai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/2026\/08\/29\/bcci-legal-challenge-sports-governance-act-election-uncertai\/","title":{"rendered":"BCCI\u2019s Legal Challenge Over Sports Governance Act Sparks Election Uncertainty"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<!-- Quick Adsense WordPress Plugin: http:\/\/quickadsense.com\/ -->\n<div class=\"9fece8afa224fd09e54b043d0febfb58\" data-index=\"1\" style=\"float: none; margin:10px 0 10px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- NR ATF -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8898941184964366\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"4839033563\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n<p>New Delhi \u2013 A recent affidavit submitted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has deepened uncertainty among the body\u2019s state affiliates about how to conduct elections under the National Sports Governance Act of 2025. The filing, authorised by BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, argues that cricket has not been listed as a \u201cdesignated sport\u201d under the Act, thereby questioning the applicability of the law to the sport\u2019s governing structures.<\/p>\n<h2>Legal Position and Constitutional Conflict<\/h2>\n<p>The affidavit asserts that, despite the Act\u2019s enactment, cricket remains outside its jurisdiction because the sport has not been formally notified as a designated sport. Consequently, the BCCI maintains that the Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) must hold its elections according to the BCCI\u2019s own constitution, which was amended in 2019 following the Lodha Committee\u2019s recommendations. Those recommendations introduced limits on consecutive terms for office\u2011bearers and mandated a cooling\u2011off period, although the BCCI\u2019s internal rules differ from the provisions\u2014or lack thereof\u2014found in the national legislation.<\/p>\n<p>State cricket associations had been operating under the impression that the sports ministry\u2019s notice issued in December of the previous year allowed them to defer elections until December 2026. That notice, however, does not address a cooling\u2011off period, and the Act itself omits any such requirement, creating a regulatory vacuum that the BCCI\u2019s filing seeks to exploit.<\/p>\n<h2>Points of Friction Between OCA and BCCI<\/h2>\n<p>Incumbent officials of the OCA contend that they are following directives issued by the government, while the BCCI\u2019s stance is diametrically opposed. The affidavit emphasizes that the OCA\u2019s constitution contains a clause prohibiting any individual from serving more than two consecutive terms. It argues that prompt elections are essential to prevent any office\u2011bearer from breaching that limit and to honour the spirit of a Supreme Court judgment that underscored the need for regular turnover.<\/p>\n<p>The next hearing on the matter is slated for September\u202f1, where the court will likely examine whether the national act or the BCCI\u2019s internal constitution should dictate the election timetable for the OCA.<\/p>\n<h2>Political and Administrative Context<\/h2>\n<p>During a parliamentary debate in August\u202f2025, Vijayawada MP and Andhra Cricket Association president Kesineni Sivanath welcomed the Sports Governance Bill, noting that the BCCI already adheres to its core principles. The government has also exempted the BCCI from the Right to Information (RTI) Act on the basis that the board does not rely on public funds. In May, the Central Information Commission reinforced this exemption and described the Lodha Committee\u2019s recommendations as merely advisory.<\/p>\n<p>These developments have left the BCCI in a paradoxical position: while the board enjoys a degree of regulatory relief, it now faces a legal argument that could strip it of the ability to apply its own constitutional safeguards to state\u2011level bodies like the OCA.<\/p>\n<p>Senior officials, speaking to the Times of India, warned that if the government\u2019s December\u202f2026 deferral is interpreted as binding, every state association might postpone elections for a range of posts. The BCCI, which traditionally champions continuity in administration, fears that such a pause could undermine the experience being built by newly elected officials.<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, the board\u2019s reluctance to accept the government\u2019s timeline could create a governance gap just as fresh office\u2011bearers are beginning to take shape. The ambiguity also extends to the question of whether state bodies must align with the Sports Governance Act or continue to operate under the BCCI\u2019s constitution.<\/p>\n<p>Adding to the complexity, the BCCI held its own elections in September of the previous year, prior to the sports ministry\u2019s advisory. Vice\u2011president Rajiv Shukla is set to complete a six\u2011year term next year, while secretary Saikia, now in his second term, will finish six years in 2028 before entering the cooling\u2011off period prescribed by the BCCI constitution. Should the BCCI eventually fall under the National Sports Board\u2019s jurisdiction, the mandatory cooling\u2011off period outlined in the Act would not be enforceable for its office\u2011bearers.<\/p>\n<p>As the September hearing approaches, state cricket associations remain in a holding pattern, awaiting clarification on whether they must obey the national act, the BCCI\u2019s internal rules, or a hybrid of both. The outcome could set a precedent for how cricket governance aligns\u2014or diverges\u2014from broader Indian sports legislation.<\/p>\n\n<div style=\"font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0px; margin: 0; padding: 0; clear: both;\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A BCCI\u2011filed affidavit claiming cricket is not a designated sport under the 2025 National Sports Governance Act has ignited confusion over OCA elections and broader governance rules.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1772,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[299],"tags":[273,1704,1705,1702,1703],"class_list":["post-1771","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-bcci","tag-elections","tag-lodha-committee","tag-odisha-cricket-association","tag-sports-governance-act","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1771","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1771"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1771\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1772"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1771"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1771"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1771"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}