BCCI comes under RTI Act.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is now covered under the RTI Act and answerable to the people of the country under its mechanism, the Central Information Commission ruled recently.
This decision is taken by the Central Information Commission (CIC)
CENTRAL INFORMATION COMMISSION (CIC)
•The Central Information Commission has been constituted with effect from 12-10-2005 under the Right to Information Act, 2005.
POWERS OF CENTRAL INFORMATION COMMISSION (CIC)
• The Commission has certain powers and functions mentioned in sections 18, 19, 20 and 25 of the RTI Act, 2005.
• These broadly relate to adjudication in the second appeal for giving information, direction for record keeping, suo motu disclosures receiving enquiring into a complaint on the inability to file RTI etc;
imposition of penalties and Monitoring and Reporting including preparation of an Annual Report.
• The decisions of the Commission are final and binding.
BCCI IS NOT HAPPY
•The BCCI has always held the opposite view: that it did not come under the ambit of RTI.
•Lodha Committee (for BCCI) Recommended that BCCI should come under RTI.
SOME FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW
• The Government of India does not administer the Indian cricket team.BCCI develops it.
• BCCI does not depend on the Government of India for its finances.
• BCCI had avoided taxes on its income, claiming exemption as a
charitable organization.
• Although the Income Tax Department withdrew this exemption in 2007-08, BCCI only paid tax amounting to ₹41.9 crore (US$5.8 million) against its tax liability of ₹413 crore (US$58 million) in the 2009-10 financial year.
On 12 September 2006 BCCI, announced that it will spend ₹ 1,600 crores over the subsequent one year to upgrade the cricket stadiums around the country.
HOW did IT happen?
•The commission, the top appellate body in RTI matters, went through the law, orders of the Supreme Court, the Law Commission of India report, submissions of the Central Public Information Officer in the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports to conclude that the status,
nature and functional characteristics of the BCCI fulfill the required conditions of Section 2(h) of the RTI Act.
INFORMATION COMMISSIONER SRIDHAR ACHARYULU
• The matter came before him as the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports did not give a satisfactory response to an RTI applicant, Geeta Rani, who had sought to know the provisions and guidelines under which the BCCI has been representing India and selecting players for the country.
• Acharyulu directed the BCCI to put in place, within 15 days, online and offline mechanisms to receive applications for information under the RTI Act.
THE VERDICT
• “The BCCI should be listed as an NSF(National Sports Federation) covered under the RTI Act.
•The RTI Act should be made applicable to the BCCI along with its entire constituent member cricketing associations, provided they fulfill the criteria applicable to the BCCI, as discussed in the Law Commission’s report,” he said.
Note: We can’t expect much from BCCI on the RTI Act.
This is a brave decision by CIC and it should be appreciated.
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