The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will not come under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. This is because the Sports Ministry made an important change to the National Sports Governance Bill, which was recently introduced in Parliament on July 23.
The earlier version of the Bill said that all sports bodies, including those that do not take government money, would be covered under the RTI Act. That would have brought the BCCI under RTI as well.
But now, the ministry has updated the draft. Only organisations that get financial help from the government will need to follow RTI rules. Since the BCCI runs without government funding, it will not have to share internal information under RTI.
Sports Ministry Softens RTI Rules, BCCI Stays Exempt
In the first draft of the Bill, Clause 15(2) said that any recognised sports body would be treated like a public authority under the RTI Act. That would have applied to all national sports federations, including BCCI, even if they did not receive government funding.
But after feedback and concerns, the government has removed that part. A new clause has been added. It now clearly says that only those bodies that receive grants or money from the Centre or states will be under RTI, and only for how they use that money.
A new clause has been introduced that states,
“A recognised sports organisation, receiving grants or any other financial assistance from the Central Government under sub-section (1) or from a State Government, shall be considered as a public authority under the Right to Information Act, 2005, with respect to utilisation of such grants or any other financial assistance.”
A sports ministry source explained that the amendment was necessary to avoid legal challenges.
"The amended clause will ensure that we don’t violate the RTI Act. With the amendment, we have defined a public authority as an entity relying on government funds and assistance. We have removed the grey area from the Bill that could have resulted in it getting held up or being challenged in court," a sports ministry source said as quoted to The Indian Express.
What Is the National Sports Governance Bill?
The National Sports Governance Bill was introduced to bring more accountability and structure to sports bodies in India. It was presented in Parliament on July 23.
The Bill aims to create a National Sports Board that will look after how sports federations are run. It also plans to set up a National Sports Tribunal to handle disputes.
Even though BCCI is not part of the current list of recognised sports federations, the Bill will still apply to it. This is the first time the government has moved to bring the BCCI under any national law related to sports.
Also read: 'Be serious about...": Dinesh Karthik's massive warning to Gautam Gambhir after England series
