· PCA prefers Retd Election Commissioner Haryana/Pb than Deputy Commissioner Ludhiana as Observer
· High Court appoints Former Chief Justice as Observer
Ludhiana 20th Sept 2020
While IPL glorifies the game and gives the cricketers a status of a demi-god in our country, players at the state and district are struggling for basic representation at the grassroot level. They are denied to be a part of the decision-making body at the district levels and have to fight in courts to get basic rights.
In a recent judgement passed by the Hon’ble High Court of Punjab and Haryana, elections of Ludhiana District Cricket Association (LDCA) will be conducted on October 11, 2020, after a gap of 17 years under the supervision of Hon’ble Justice Virender Jain former Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court, who has been appointed as observer for smooth and impartial conduct of elections.
Former Punjab Ranji captain Inderjit Singh Malhi along with other state and national cricketers had filed a petition in the Hon’ble High Court of Punjab and Haryana in 2018 for holding elections in the LDCA.
The players wanted the elections of the LDCA to be conducted as per the stipulations laid down by Justice Lodha Committee recommendations as approved by the Hon’ble Supreme Court, to which they had faced strong objections from the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA), which said that the recommendations are not binding on the District Cricket Associations and wanted to avoid transparency at all costs.
PCA had submitted that Retired Election Commissioner of Punjab/Haryana should be more befitting than Deputy Commissioner, Ludhiana, as the Observer of election. It is interesting to note that Deputy Commissioner, Ludhiana, is ex-officio Chairman of LDCA and is a non-voting member. There would have been no cost to LDCA, but PCA preferred to pay for observer and objected to Deputy Commissioner.
After detailed arguments from both sides, Hon’ble High Court appointed Former Chief Justice as the Observer and also ordered that objections by any party during the elections shall be decided by the Observer.
It may also be noted that elections in other 20 District Cricket Associations, including Jalandhar and Amritsar, have not been conducted for decades. Buoyed by the landmark judgement of the High Court, cricketers in other districts are also planning to approach the Hon’ble High Court.
