BCCI resists RTI scrutiny

The Central Information Commission on May 18 held that the Board of Control for Cricket in India does not qualify as a “public authority” under the Right to Information Act, a ruling that capped years of resistance by the cricket board to being brought under the transparency law. The Hindu, in an explainer published on May 24, set out the legal and procedural record behind that outcome. The report said the BCCI has consistently argued that it is a private, autonomous body and therefore outside the scope of Section 2(h) of the RTI Act. The commission’s latest order dismissed an appeal filed after the Sports Ministry said the information sought was not available in its records. ### What legal claim has the BCCI relied on? The BCCI has argued that it is an autonomous charitable society registered under the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act, 1975, and was not created by the Constitution, Parliament, a State legislature or a government notification. That position goes to the wording of Section 2(h), which defines what counts as a “public authority” under the RTI Act. (thehindu.com) Information Commissioner P.R. Ramesh said in the May 18 order that the board was neither “directly nor indirectly” financed by the government and did not meet the requirement of being “substantially financed” by public funds. The CIC also said there was no “substantial and pervasive” government control over the BCCI’s functions, finances, administration, management or affairs. (thehindu.com) ### What happened to the 2018 order that had gone the other way? A 2018 CIC bench led by then Information Commissioner M. Sridhar Acharyulu had held that the BCCI qualified as a public authority and directed it to appoint Public Information Officers and create an RTI compliance framework. That order had briefly opened the door to direct information requests to the board. (thehindu.com) The BCCI then challenged that 2018 decision before the Madras High Court. The Hindu reported that the High Court remitted the matter to the CIC for fresh consideration in light of Supreme Court rulings that had held the cricket body did not fall within the ambit of the RTI Act. ### What was the original RTI request actually asking for? (thehindu.com) A Delhi resident had sought information on the authority under which the BCCI selects players to represent India, why governments provide stadiums and police security to what is formally a private association, and whether the government exercises legal control over cricket administration. The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports told the applicant the information was not available with it, leading to the appeal that eventually returned to the CIC. (thehindu.com) The CIC’s May 18 ruling said that because the BCCI is not a public authority under the statute, it cannot be compelled to furnish information under the RTI Act. That finding reversed the practical effect of the 2018 order. ### Did any official bodies argue for bringing the BCCI under RTI? (thehindu.com) The Justice R.M. Lodha Committee, set up by the Supreme Court in 2015 to recommend reforms in the BCCI, had described the board’s functioning as a “closed-door and back-room affair” and urged Parliament to seriously consider bringing it under the RTI Act. The Law Commission, in its 275th report in 2018, also recommended that sports bodies performing public functions be brought within the RTI regime. (thehindu.com) The Indian Express reported that the National Sports Governance Act, 2025, extends RTI coverage to sports bodies receiving government grants to the extent of those funds’ use, but said the BCCI receives no such grants. That left the board outside that statutory route as well. (thehindu.com) ### What is the next concrete step for readers tracking this issue? The Hindu’s May 24 explainer and its May 18 report on the CIC order set out the court filings, commission findings and prior reform recommendations that shaped the dispute. Any further change would likely require either a new court ruling or a legislative move that explicitly brings bodies such as the BCCI within the RTI framework. (indianexpress.com) (thehindu.com)