New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Friday asked the government and the BCCI to work out a mechanism to maintain balance and accountability in the functioning of the apex cricket body in the country involving crores of public money.

Observing that large amounts of public money was involved in working of the BCCI which requires checks and balances in its functioning, a bench comprising chief justice B.C. Patel and justice B.D. Ahmed asked both the government and the cricket body to exchange ideas on the issue. The court posted the matter for further hearing on May 21.

The high court was hearing a PIL filed in April 2000, seeking independent investigation into the functioning of the BCCI and its accounts, alleging that the apex body of cricket in India and its member associations were functioning in an arbitrary and opaque manner.

The PIL filed by two cricket lovers, advocate Rahul Mehra and Shantanu Sharma, had sought investigation into BCCI’s accounts for the past five years from the date of filing the petition. The PIL contended that the BCCI and its member associations were functioning as private empires of some businessmen and traders, who have come to control and abuse cricket for their own interest and profit.

The PIL had alleged that the BCCI and its associations were acting contrary to the objectives for which they were created and the development and promotion of the game was suffering at the cost of board functionaries. They had sought audit of the accounts of the BCCI and other member associations by the CAG. The BCCI counsel, Gopal Subramanian, wanted more time to come out with suggestions. However, the bench declined to oblige him.

In April 2000, the court had issued notices to the Centre, BCCI and the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) on the petition, which also sought direction to the government to withdraw all concessions, tax exemptions and stadia given to BCCI and its associations until they introduce transparency and accountability in their functioning.