HC refuses to entertain MCA CoA's GST exemption plea

MCAu00c3u00a2u00c2u0080u00c2u0088CoA VM Kanade (left) and HL Gokhale

The Bombay High Court yesterday granted a two-month extension to the Committee of Administrators (CoA) for the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) to amend the constitution as per the Lodha Committee report, and turned down the CoA's request to not apply the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on their fee.

The MCA CoA, which is a two-member panel comprising former Supreme Court judge HL Gokhale and former Bombay HC judge VM Kanade, had appealed to the Bombay High Court to consider an extension of around four months. The CoA, in its Notice of Motion, said that since the Supreme Court has not yet finalised the constitution for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), it would not be possible to hold a special general body meeting of the MCA on or before June 15 and complete the entire process, including the election of the new body by July 31, as per the order dated May 4.

However, Bombay HC Justice Shantanu Kemkar, hearing the plea, considered an extension of only two months, according to the counsels who appeared yesterday. Within this timeframe, the CoA must amend the MCA constitution and initiate the process of holding elections. The Bombay HC did not entertain CoA's plea to grant an exemption from applying GST on their fees.

Meanwhile, the Bombay HC directed the MCA CoA to look into the qualification issue of Armaan Mallick. According to a Notice of Motion filed by former MCA Managing Committee member Iqbal Shaikh, it is claimed that Mallick has completed his nine-year tenure with the MCA and stands disqualified as per the Lodha Committee reforms. Mallick, however, maintains that his tenure is not over and that he can still continue as one of the six qualified MCA committee members.

Rs 1 lakh
Fee per day for each judge in the CoA

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