Srinagar: In a significant development in the ongoing administrative tussle within the Jammu & Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA), the BCCI Electoral Officer has rejected the nomination of Desh Rattan Dubey as the JKCA representative for the BCCI Election 2026 scheduled to be held on September 18.
The decision was passed on September 8 by BCCI Electoral Officer A.K. Joti after considering objections filed by JKCA President Javid Ahmad Kitab and Sudershan Mehta against Dubey’s nomination.
According to the seven-page order, the objections were examined along with the replies submitted by Dubey and the JKCA Secretary.
The central issue before the Electoral Officer was the validity of the JKCA Apex Council which had nominated Dubey as the association’s representative.
Apex Council resolution found legally untenable
The order notes that the JKCA Secretary had constituted an Apex Council through communications dated May 22 and May 30, 2026.
However, the Additional District Judge, Srinagar, in an order dated June 6, 2026, stayed the operation of both communications until further orders.
The BCCI Electoral Officer observed that, in view of the court order, the Apex Council constituted through the May 22 and May 30 communications remained “at abeyance.”
Consequently, the resolution passed by the Apex Council on August 30, 2026, nominating Dubey as the JKCA representative for the BCCI elections was held to be legally untenable.
Nomination declared incomplete
The Electoral Officer further held that the nomination application submitted on behalf of JKCA was incomplete because it did not satisfy the requirement under paragraph 3(G) of the BCCI notification dated August 25, 2026.
The notification required a copy of the resolution passed by the appropriate nomination or appointing authority in accordance with the constitution of the full member association.
Since the August 30 resolution was found invalid in view of the June 6 court order, the nomination of Dubey could not meet that requirement.
The Electoral Officer therefore concluded that Desh Rattan Dubey was not eligible to be included in the Final Electoral Roll for the BCCI Election 2026.
Kitab’s objections accepted
An important aspect of the order is that the BCCI Electoral Officer rejected the contention raised by Dubey and the JKCA Secretary that Javid Ahmad Kitab had no locus standi to file objections because of his suspension from the JKCA presidency.
The order notes that although Kitab had been temporarily restrained by a court order from exercising the powers of the JKCA President, that order did not prevent him from appearing before or raising objections before the BCCI Electoral Officer.
Accordingly, the contention regarding Kitab’s locus standi was rejected.
Objections accepted only on the validity of the nomination resolution
The Electoral Officer made it clear that the objections filed by Kitab and Mehta were sustainable to the extent that the August 30 Apex Council resolution was invalid in view of the June 6 order of the Additional District Judge, Srinagar.
The order does not record a finding against every allegation raised by the objectors. Instead, the nomination was rejected on the specific legal and procedural ground arising from the status of the Apex Council and the validity of the resolution through which Dubey was nominated.
Separate court records cited against Dubey
The objections also referred to other legal proceedings involving Dubey.
One of the documents placed on record contains a certified copy of a bail bond and surety of ₹10,000 each furnished by Dubey before the Special Mobile Magistrate, Electricity, Jammu, in a criminal complaint under Sections 499 and 500 of the IPC.
The same document refers to another criminal matter concerning alleged fraudulent registration through forgery and proceedings before the 2nd Additional Sessions Court, Jammu, as well as a civil suit for damages of ₹100 crore in which Dubey is named as Respondent No. 4.
These allegations and proceedings were among the materials submitted in the dispute; the BCCI Electoral Officer’s operative finding on Dubey’s nomination, however, was based on the legal status of the Apex Council and the August 30 nomination resolution.
What the order means for JKCA
The BCCI order adds another layer to the continuing administrative and legal dispute within JKCA.
With the nomination of Dubey rejected, the association will now face the question of how it can validly nominate its representative for the BCCI Election scheduled for September 18, particularly in light of the court order keeping the constitution of the Apex Council in abeyance.
For now, the BCCI Electoral Officer has accepted the objections filed by Javid Ahmad Kitab and Sudershan Mehta and ruled that Dubey’s name cannot be included in the Final Electoral Roll as the JKCA representative for the 2026 BCCI Election.
