MPCA committee sacked for questioning
Indore, February 8
The three-member cricket committee of the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) has been dismissed. An MPCA official gave this information on Monday. The move was taken on the basis of the resolution passed by a majority in the annual general meeting (AGM) of the organization here on Sunday evening.
The dismissed cricket committee included former domestic cricketers like Prashant Dwivedi, Yogesh Golwalkar and Murtaza Ali.
They were elected as members of the committee for three years during the MPCA’s last elections held in October 2019.
Why the committee of dismissal?
The committee had accused the committee of not following the statutory procedure in the appointment of former India team wicketkeeper Chandrakant Pandit as the head coach of the MPCA. The management of the organization was also questioned. Since then there was a tussle on both sides.
The committee has also filed a petition in the Madhya Pradesh High Court a few days ago against the MPCA management over the appointment of Pandit as the head coach and other issues.
MPCA Secretary Sanjeev Rao told PTI, “At the AGCA of the MPCA held on Sunday evening, a member proposed that the members of the existing cricket committee are no longer trusted. The activities of the committee have tarnished the image of the organization.”
Sanjeev Rao said, “Some members of the MPCA also opposed this proposal. But most of the members supported it after which the Cricket Committee was dismissed on the basis of majority.”
According to Rao, former MPCA president and sitting Rajya Sabha MP Jyotiraditya Scindia also supported the proposal against the cricket committee during the AGM.
“Hopefully, the MPCA new cricket committee will be formed soon,” he said.
Meanwhile, after joining MPCA’s AGM, Scindia told reporters on Sunday night, “There is no dispute about the appointment of Chandrakant Pandit as the head coach of MPCA. Pandit is among the country’s leading cricket experts and We are fortunate to be leading our organization as a coach.”
The former MPCA chairman denied any comment against the appointment of Pandit when the Cricket Committee approached the High Court. Prior to joining the MPCA, Pandit (58 years) was associated with Vidarbha Cricket Association as the head coach and his innings has been a huge success.
Vidarbha has been instrumental in winning the prestigious Ranji Trophy tournament title for two consecutive domestic seasons – 2017-18 and 2018-19. Vidarbha also won the Irani Trophy tournament during these seasons under the guidance of Pandit.
On the other hand, seeking a response to the dismissal of the MPCA Cricket Committee, its counsel Ajinkya Dagaonkar said, “We have no information about the MPCA resolutions passed in the AGM held on Sunday evening. Anyway, the petition of the Cricket Committee in the High Court Pending. Therefore, I cannot comment at length about the functioning of MPCA management. “
He, however, said that the petition filed by the committee in the High Court raised statutory questions on the appointment of Pandit. Along with this, the court has been requested that the recommendations of the Lodha Committee on reforms in the cricket administration of the country should be fully ensured in the MPCA.
According to Dagaonkar, the High Court has not yet set a date for hearing the petition of the Cricket Committee.
