The Delhi and Districts Cricket Association (DDCA) members have rejected 77 out of 103 clauses on good corporate governance, including one on the abolition of the controversial proxy-voting system, during a secret ballot at an Extra-Ordinary General Meeting (EGM) on September 15. The clauses were put forward by the court-appointed administrator Justice (Retd) Vikramajit Sen following an order of the Delhi High Court in February, which directed the DDCA to change its Articles of Association – i.e. its constitution – and remodel its administrative structures.
According to company law, proxy voting allows a candidate contesting in the DDCA elections to collect signatures of their voters, who need not be physically present during voting. In February, a Delhi High Court order had directed that proxy voting would be “impermissible” in the DDCA. Incidentally, the practice has been banned in the draft constitution of the BCCI, submitted by the Committee of Administrators in the Supreme Court for approval. Last year, a report submitted to the Supreme Court by Justice Mukul Mudgal, who was appointed to oversee the conduct of matches at Feroz Shah Kotla during the World T20 and IPL in 2016, noted that the proxy system “is the bane of Delhi cricket”.
The DDCA members also rejected Justice Sen’s proposed amendments as per changes in company law. In a notification, Sen stated that only 26 items found favour with the members, while 77 were rejected. The members cast their vote through an e-vote at the EGM.
“Not only did they reject all the good governance points in the Lodha Committee recommendations but they have also summarily rejected my proposals based on latest company law amendments,” Justice Sen told PTI. “This may amount to contempt of the High Court Order.”
When asked what the way forward is, Sen replied: “We need to analyse the data.”
He was confident the two international matches allotted to Feroz Shah Kotla – a T20I international against New Zealand on November 1 and a Test match against Sri Lanka – would be held without any hiccups.
“I can assure you that the New Zealand T20 and the Test match against Sri Lanka will be held without any problems under my supervision.”
Points in the agenda related to the appointment of an ombudsman and clauses regarding the election process were accepted for amendment. An amendment can be passed after a three-fourth majority in its favour.
Some of the senior DDCA officials, who were present during the EGM, said that the association missed out on a chance at reform.
“What most of the members do not understand is that voting for proxy won’t help their case,” a senior DDCA official said. “It means that the administrator will remain in charge of the association. It was foolish on the part of those who rejected the amendments.”
BCCI acting president CK Khanna, also a former president of the DDCA, had recently supported the abolition of the system. Justice Mudgal’s report had labelled Khanna a “pernicious influence”, and alleged that Khanna controlled a large number of proxies.
“I have told my supporters to vote against proxy system,” Khanna had told PTI before the EGM. “A perception has been created by people that I am the root cause of proxy system. I want this perception to change.”
Source: ESPN Crickinfo