SC allows BCCI to go ahead with tendering process to award media rights

New Delhi, Aug. Aug 28 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Monday allowed the BCCI to go ahead with its tendering process to award media rights for the IPL tournament next year as it declined a plea by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy seeking e-auction of media rights by the apex cricketing body.

A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice A.M. Khanwilkar and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud allowed the BCCI to continue with its tendering process as senior counsel Parag Tripathi appearing for Committee of Administrators (CoA) defended the existing tendering process as being the best.

The top court had earlier sought a response from former Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) Vinod Rai, who heads the CoA, as to how the tendering process was better than the e-auction.

The top court had on January 30 this year appointed a four-member committee of administrators, headed by Rai, to run the affairs of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

While refusing to stay the ongoing tendering process as sought by Swamy in favour of e-auction, the court did not close the matter as Swamy said that he wanted to file an application pointing to the conflict of interest in which certain BCCI officials were allegedly placed in.

Saying said that auction of media rights which is done for five years should be done in a transparent manner, Swamy had by his application urged the top court to direct the e-auctioning of media rights.

Alleging that there were attempt by certain vested interests to monopolise the entire process and get media rights, Swamy had contended that the apex cricketing body should adopt non-discriminatory and transparent method for awarding media rights so that it gets maximum revenue.