Citing COVID-19, Jay Shah and other office bearers plead for extension of their tenure at BCCI

Citing the COVID-19 pandemic, Jay Shah, the son of the second most powerful person in the country, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, has filed a petition in the Supreme Court, seeking an extension of his tenure as the BCCI general secretary.

According to sources, Shah — whose term as the BCCI secretary, according to the recommendation made by the RM Lodha Commission, ended in the first week of this month — has written a mail to the apex court on Sunday, demanding extension of his tenure.

In his petition, Shah has pleaded that his continuity in the BCCI will help India’s cricket control board at a time when the sport is facing a crisis due to the coronavirus pandemic.

According to sources, Shah stopped working as BCCI secretary on May 7, following which the BCCI media releases are now being signed by the treasurer Arun Singh Dhumal.

Shah, whose election as the BCCI general secretary had raised eyebrows at the time, was one of the five office-bearers (including Sourav Ganguly as president) elected unopposed in the BCCI elections held in Mumbai.

While Shah was elected as the BCCI general secretary, former India skipper Sourav Ganguly was elected as the president, Arun Singh Dhumal as treasurer, Jayesh George as joint secretary and Mahim Verma as the vice-president. Dhumal is the brother of BJP leader and Union Minister Anurag Thakur.

Apart from Jay Shah, Ganguly and joint secretary Jayesh George have also pleaded for extension of tenures in the Supreme Court through the same petition, reported The Telegraph.

“The move was aimed at helping Sourav, Shah and George to serve their full three-year terms… Both Sourav and Shah had less than a year remaining when they took charge in the BCCI following stints in their respective state associations,” said the report.

According to the recommendations of the RM Lodha Commission, both Shah and Ganguly will have to “cool off” for three years once they completed six years as office-bearers in either a state association or the Indian Board.

It may be recalled here that Shah has been joint-secretary of the Gujarat Cricket Association since 2013 before he became a BCCI office-bearer. Similarly, Ganguly, who had been a joint secretary and then president of the Cricket Association of Bengal, will also be completing six years either at a state body or BCCI.

As per media reports, at the BCCI’s 88th Annual General Meeting in December last year, the members unanimously agreed that Ganguly and his team should serve a full six years at the BCCI. Practically, it means that the BCCI has already given its nod for the Shah’s extension.