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BCCI’s AGM held with new-office bearers
NEW DELHI: The annual general meeting of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was formally held today with new-office bearers taking charge, but outgoing president Jagmohan Dalmiya’s remote controlling bid hit a snag with a Chennai City civil court restraining him from representing the BCCI at the international fora.
The BCCI also did not disclose any development on awarding the India-Pakistan cricket series rights to a broadcaster. Those in the fray are led by pubcaster Doordarshan and include others like ESPN Star Sports and a hopeful Zee Telefilms, which is embroiled in a bitter legal battle over the rights issue with the cricket board and ESS.
At BCCI today, a new set of office bearers, headed by Ranbir Singh Mahendra,took charge formally, though the new president was absent from today’s meeting owing to political commitments in his home state of Haryana where elections are scheduled to be held, Press Trust of India and United News of India reported from Kolkata, headquarters of BCCI.
The annual general meeting, which was reconvened this morning following a Supreme Court directive, concluded in no time, with outgoing president Jagmohan Dalmiya saying the two pending items on the agenda could not be transacted in view of a restraint order by the court on 28 September. No other details were forwarded.
Since all other items on the agenda had already been transacted in the meeting on 29 and 30 September, the 75th AGM of the BCCI was therefore terminated and the newly elected office-bearers took over with immediate effect, he said.
The controversy ridden AGM had been adjourned without transacting two of the items on the agenda relating to the appointment of Dalmiya as the Patron-in-Chief and BCCI’s representative at the ICC and other international bodies, the news agencies said.
Today’s meeting, held as per Supreme Court’s order on 10 January, thus cleared the deck for Mahendra and the other office-bearers, elected in a bitter contest against the group led by Maratha strongman Sharad Pawar on 29 September, to discharge their duties formally.
Counsel of the Chennai club, Ankur Chawla, told reporters here today that according to an interim order passed by the City Civil Court on 25 January, ”Dalmiya cannot get himself elected as the representative of BCCI in any international cricket be it ICC or ACC.
We are saying that what cannot be done directly, cannot be done indirectly too. As he was restrained from being the patron-in-chief, he was trying to get a resolution passed
seeing him through as the representative of the BCCI in the ICC and the ACC.
But that cannot happen. The court has kindly consented to that idea.” A similar order had been passed by the same court earlier restraining Dalmiya from becoming the Patron-in-Chief of the BCCI.” The next date of hearing for the case is 31 January.
Earlier, on 10 January, the Supreme Court had ordered the BCCI to complete the AGM as soon as possible. Accordingly, the AGM was to take up the pending issues including Sec 1B pertaining to the Patron-in-Chief and Section 13 regarding the representation of BCCI in ICC/ACC.
According to news reports, former BCCI president, Raj Singh Dungarpur, who had been a vocal opponent of Mahendra during the elections for the Board president’s post in September, today openly suggested Mahendra’s name as
BCCI representative at ICC meetings.
Dungarpur was quoted by news agencies as saying that “all through its 75-year history, the BCCI has been represented by its presidents at the ICC.
It has been a convention. And I strongly feel that this convention should be followed this time also”.
Dungarpur, a staunch critic of Dalmiya, had pitched his lot with Maratha strongman Sharad Pawar, who unsuccessfully contested against Jagmohan Dalmiya’s nominee Mahendra for the top BCCI post. Dungarpur, said the outgoing BCCI president should no longer harbour ambitions to represent the Board at the ICC (International Cricket Conference).
Expressing his dismay at the way the BCCI has gone down in the public eye due to the recent squabbling, Dungarpur was quoted as saying, “Things need to be resolved fast. The situation would have not come to such a pass had the powers-that-be tried to resolve the knotty issues.”
Meanwhile, a two-member Pakistan security team today met with the newly elected office bearers of the Indian cricket board and would now be heading for Ahmedabad tomorrow.
Zakir Khan, General Manager (Operations) of Pakistan Cricket Board and Sohail Khan, SSP, Lahore met the BCCI officials after the conclusion of the AGM here.
Pakistan is to arrive on 25 February to play three Tests and five one-day internationals against India. The BCCI has shortlisted the venues but the dates of the matches are yet to be finalised, news agencies said.
NEW DELHI: Hamdard Laboratories gathered a cross-section of India’s achievers in New Delhi on Friday, handing out the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Excellence Awards to figures who have left their mark across healthcare, education, sport, public service and the arts.
The ceremony, attended by minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth and senior officials from the ministry of Ayush, celebrated individuals whose work blends professional success with a sense of public purpose. It was as much a roll call of achievement as it was a reminder that influence is not measured only in profits or podiums, but in people reached and lives improved.
Among the headline awardees was Alakh Pandey, founder and chief executive of PhysicsWallah, recognised for turning affordable digital learning into a mass movement. On the sporting front, Arjuna Awardee and kabaddi player Sakshi Puniya was honoured for her contribution to the game and for pushing women’s participation onto bigger stages.
The cultural spotlight fell on veteran lyricist and poet Santosh Anand, whose songs have echoed across generations of Hindi cinema. At 97, Anand accepted the honour with characteristic humility, reflecting on a life shaped by perseverance and hope.
Healthcare honours spanned both modern and traditional systems. Manoj N. Nesari was recognised for strengthening Ayurveda’s place in national and global health frameworks. Padma shri Mohammed Abdul Waheed was honoured for his research-backed work in Unani medicine, while padma shri Mohsin Wali received recognition for his long-standing contribution to patient-centred care.
Education and social development also featured prominently. Padma shri Zahir Ishaq Kazi was honoured for decades of work in education, while former Meghalaya superintendent of Police T. C. Chacko was recognised for public service. Goonj founder Anshu Gupta received an award for his dignity-centred rural development initiatives, and the Hunar Shakti Foundation was honoured for empowering women and young girls through skill development.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former IAS officer Shailaja Chandra for her long career in public healthcare and governance, particularly in the traditional systems under Ayush.
Speaking at the event, Hamdard chairman Abdul Majeed said the awards were a tribute to those who combine excellence with empathy. “These awardees reflect Hakeem Sahib’s belief that healthcare, education and public service must ultimately serve humanity,” he said.
Minister Seth struck a forward-looking note, saying India’s young population gives the country a unique opportunity to become a global destination for learning, health and wellness by 2047.
The ceremony also featured the trailer launch of Unani Ki Kahaani, an upcoming documentary starring actor Jim Sarbh, set to premiere on Discovery on 11 February.
Instituted in memory of Unani scholar and educationist Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the awards have grown into a national platform that celebrates those building a more inclusive and resilient India. For one evening at least, the spotlight was not just on success, but on service with substance.
