Lodha panel: Legalise betting, no Minister can hold BCCI post

With a strong recommendation to lawmakers to legalise betting in cricket for all except cricket players, officials and administrators, the Supreme Court appointed Justice R.M. Lodha Committee report said on Monday that government servants and ministers should be banned from holding posts in the BCCI.

The committee commended the "good work" done by the BCCI, including pension scheme for national players. Justice Lodha along with Justices Ashok Bhan and R.V. Raveendran said their objective handed down by the apex court was not to limit the autonomy of the BCCI.

"Our call was not restrict or limit the BCCI and its good work. But our year-long effort was to remove the ailing parts, revitalise the body so that it could run a marathon for the betterment of the game. Our job was to restore the pristine glory of the game of which 1.28 billion of the country is passionate for," Justice Lodha said at a press conference in Delhi.

Taking a realistic stand on betting, the very cause for the apex court setting up the panel, Justice Lodha said betting is a 400 billion dollars phenomenon practised across the globe and lawmakers in India should enact laws to legalise it.

But the committee said players, team and match officials and cricket administrators should not be allowed to indulge in betting. As a rider, betting should be restricted to licensed betting houses. Again players and others banned should disclose their assets to BCCI in a measure to ensure that they do not bet.

The committee, however, said that match-and spot-fixing should be made a criminal offence.