Will the Committee’s recommendations be binding on BCCI?

• The Supreme Court has unequivocally held that the orders by the Committee shall be “final and binding” if it decides to impose punishment on any person in the 2013 IPL spot fixing and betting case. Therefore, the Committee’s order shall be binding if the panel holds IPL COO Sunder Raman guilty of any irregularity. However, recommendations relating to reforms in the BCCI are not per se binding and the Board may opt not to accept some or all of them.

What is the legal sanctity of the report?

• Not to forget, the Committee is a high-power panel set up on the orders of the top court and the final report will also be placed before the bench concerned. This report will be taken up by a bench led by Justice T S Thakur at a later date. The bench may also examine some issues and pass some orders in case the Committee has made any specific plea in its report while seeking some directions over any of its recommendations. BCCI will be given an opportunity to respond to the panel’s plea but if the court agrees with the Committee and passes some orders, it becomes binding on the Board.

What if BCCI does not accept some recommendations?

• The matter has been taken to the apex court by the Cricket Association of Bihar (CAB). Hence, if the BCCI rejects some recommendations of the Lodha Committee, CAB will certainly raise its contentions before the bench and the issue will become subject to the orders of the court once again. Therefore, in all likelihood, the final word on the recommendations will be of the Supreme Court in various permutations and combinations.