Sticky wicket: MCA AGM held without office bearers

Ex-MCA managing committee member Shripad Halbe chairs the meeting. Pic/Subodh Mayure

The Mumbai Cricket Association's (MCA) 85th Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the Garware Club, Wankhede Stadium, on Saturday was unique. Though over 100 MCA members attended it, it was held in the absence of the association's office bearers.

Former MCA managing committee member Shripad Halbe, who represented Oriental Cricket Club, chaired the meeting that was attended by eight MCA Apex Council members.

The appointment of a new Ombudsman - Dilip Bhosale (a retired chief justice of Allahabad High Court), finalising Dilip Vengsarkar as MCA's representative for BCCI meetings, disbanding the Cricket Improvement Committee comprising chairman Jatin Paranjape, Vinod Kambli and Nilesh Kulkarni, recommending a forensic audit of accounts and appointing members Milind Narvekar (chairman) and Nilesh Bhosale (member) to the Mumbai Premier League governing council - were some of the major decisions taken.

"This is a legally valid AGM. We had appointed Dilip Bhosale, who is a retired chief justice of Allahabad High Court as Ombudsman. India's former captain Vengsarkar will represent MCA at BCCI meetings," Halbe told Sunday mid-day.

Former MCA president Ravi Savant spoke on the need for a forensic audit: "For the last few years, the audited reports have not been discussed. There were complaints with regards to the accounts and we were not getting replies. So, the AGM has recommended a forensic audit."

However, MCA Secretary Sanjay Naik said: "We have not heard about any meeting. The AGM has already been deferred by the Apex Council unanimously. The new date of the AGM will be intimated to the members shortly."