CIC Rules BCCI Not Public Authority Under RTI Act

The Central Information Commission has ruled that the Board of Control for Cricket in India is not a public authority under the Right to Information Act, shielding the cricket body from mandatory public disclosure obligations. The decision, delivered on Monday by Information Commissioner P.R. Ramesh, concludes a long-running legal dispute over the BCCI's status under the transparency law.

The Commission dismissed an appeal seeking details on the authority under which the BCCI represents India and selects national teams. In its order, the CIC stated the BCCI is a private, autonomous body registered under the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act. It was not established by the Constitution, Parliament, a state legislature, or by a government notification.

The ruling marks a reversal of a 2018 order by a previous information commissioner, who had declared the BCCI a public authority. That earlier order was challenged by the BCCI in the Madras High Court, which later sent the matter back to the CIC for fresh consideration in light of relevant Supreme Court judgments.

Revisiting the issue, the Commission found the BCCI is neither owned, controlled, nor substantially financed by the...