Srinagar: An ICA-nominated member of the Jammu & Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) Apex Council is also serving as the Personal Secretary to the BCCI President, a dual role that has raised questions over independence and potential conflict of interest.
The issue assumes significance because the Indian Cricketers’ Association’s (ICA) 2025 Nomination Policy specifically lists “Independence” among the criteria for selecting representatives to the Apex Bodies of BCCI Member Associations. The policy also requires a selected nominee to confirm that accepting the nomination would not result in a conflict of interest and to submit a declaration covering the applicable conflict-of-interest provisions.
At the same time, BCCI Rule 38 does not make every combination of roles an automatic conflict. The framework provides for disclosure of existing or potential conflicts and allows certain conflicts to be managed through disclosure and/or recusal. (BCCI Documents)
That makes the dual role relevant from a governance perspective: the ICA nominee sits on the Apex Council of a BCCI Member Association while also working directly for the BCCI President.
The question, therefore, is whether the nominee’s professional role with the BCCI President was considered while assessing the ICA’s “Independence” criterion, and whether any existing or potential conflict has been disclosed and appropriately managed.
A former JKCA official questioned the arrangement.
“How can someone serving as the BCCI President’s Personal Secretary simultaneously sit on the Apex Council of a BCCI Member Association as an ICA nominee? Doesn’t that raise a serious conflict-of-interest question?”
Another former JKCA official said Apex Council members should be able to exercise independent judgment.
“For an institution to function fairly, there should be no competing roles. The Apex Council takes major decisions, and its members should be able to exercise independent judgment without being beholden to another authority.”
KSW has sought clarification from the JKCA and the BCCI President on whether the dual role was considered under the applicable conflict-of-interest provisions, including the ICA’s independence requirement, and whether any disclosure or recusal mechanism is in place.
KSW sent a detailed questionnaire to the JKCA and the BCCI President via email but had not received a response at the time of publication.
The issue is not whether holding the two roles automatically constitutes a violation. Rather, it is whether the combination raises an independence or conflict-of-interest concern under the applicable framework, and how any such concern has been addressed.
