CHANDIGARH: Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) is no stranger to controversy. The top sports body is once again in the thick of a raging controversy for suddenly expanding its membership by violating all procedural rules and regulations and throwing the norms set by the Lodha Commission to the winds.
On the eve of the Annual General Body (AGM) meeting to be held on October 30, it has named around 25 senior IAS/IPS officers of the Punjab Government as Life Members of Punjab Cricket Association. Life Membership of the PCA is the first step on the ladder for becoming an office-bearer of the sports body.
According to the Lodha committee’s recommendations, an office-bearer of a sports body should not be older than 70 years, should not be a government servant or minister, should not hold office in another sports organisation, and should not have held office with a state association for more than nine years.
PCA sources say that it would seem that the nominated IAS/IPS have not been properly briefed about the norms set by the Lodha Commission for the membership of the PCA and as such, may have been misled into accepting it. This is bound to cause embarrassment to them because several members are planning to raise this issue at the AGM.
It is being pointed out that no meeting either of the Apex Council or of General House of PCA has been held so far to induct/join/admit/enroll any new Life Member to PCA since 2019. As per rules & regulations of PCA “Any individual interested in the Game of Cricket may be enrolled as Life Member by the Apex Council on such terms & conditions as may be laid down by the council from time to time.”
On 28-3-2021 the Annual General House meeting had only asked a three-members committee to consider and recommend criteria for New Life Members to be admitted into PCA. That committee has not given any recommendations to the Apex Council/General House so far. The said committee was only to recommend criteria and was not authorised to admit new Life members.
It is stated that due to this ill-advised action by certain office bearers, these senior officers have landed in a highly embarrassing position because a lot of members plan to question their locus standi to attend AGM being held on 30th of October, 2021.
Interestingly, senior advocate Puneet Bali, (Mob: 98140 78892) who is also Honorary Secretary of PCA was also not aware of the induction of these Life Members. He has raised his concerns via an email to concerned officials of PCA. Here, it is pertinent to mention that Secretary is prime authority but for reasons best known to powers that be, he has been overruled in many decisions and is kept in the dark in others. There have been ugly spats between President and members of the Apex Council in meetings on a host of issues.
There has also been an incident in which certain members of the Apex Council were sought to be dismembered. In one of the cases, the Hon’ble High Court has also given a stay. Also, district clubs & associations which do not follow instructions of PCA office bearers are being disaffiliated. In a clear case of conflict of interest, attempts have also been made to use the sports body to promote companies owned by office bearers by awarding State Cricket sponsorships to their own companies. There has also been a case where a Customs Officer has been made Chairman of Cricket Advisory Committee. This is a clear violation of Supreme Court and is seen as deemed Contempt of Court.
The list of officers who have been made life members is attached herewith.
girish.dayalan@gmail.com (Girish Dayalan IAS)
gurkirat@gmail.com (Gurkirat Kirpal Singh IAS)
kumarrahul_2000@yahoo.com (Kumar Rahul IAS)
vineetk06@gmail.com (Vineet Kumar IAS)
tejveer.singh@ias.gov.in (Tejveer Singh IAS)
ravibhagatiaspb@gmail.com, ravi.bhagat@ias.gov.in (Ravi Bhagat IAS)
sumeetias@gmail.com (Summer Jarangal IAS)
agarwalrajat@yahoo.com (Rajat Aggarwal IAS)
varunroojam@yahoo.com (Varun Roojam IAS)
kishorkamalraj@gmail.com (Kamal Kishore Yadav IAS)
anirudhtewari@yahoo.com (Anirudh Tiwari IAS)
himan47agg@gmail.com (Himashu Aggarwal IAS)
trahul1976@yahoo.com (Rahul Tiwari IAS)
abhinavtrikha@gmail.com (Abhinav Trikha IAS)
pradeep239@gmail.com (Pradeep Aggarwal IAS)
sanjeevkalra1@yahoo.com (Sanjeev Kalra IPS)
kuldeepsinghips@gmail.com (Kuldeep Singh IPS)
rakeships99@gmail.com (Rakesh Aggarwal IPS)
gauravyadav92@gmail.com (Gaurav Yadav IPS)
asraiips@gmail.com (AS Rai IPS)
arpitshuklaadgp@gmail.com (Arpit Shukla IPS)
rndhoke@gmail.com (RN Dhoke IPS)
rkjaiswalips@gmail.com (RK Jaiswal IPS)
chahal.kuldeep26@gmail.com (Kuldeep Chahal IPS)
kambindra@gmail.com (Mrs Kamal Bindra w/o Mr IS Bindra Retd IAS)