In a significant ruling on sports governance, the Supreme Court has clarified that reform directions issued in the athletics case of S. Nithya cannot automatically be imposed on cricket associations.
A Bench of Justice Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha and Justice Alok Aradhe partly allowed appeals filed by The Tiruchirappalli District Cricket Association, setting aside portions of the Madras High Court’s order that had extended sweeping reform measures to the district body.
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The Court, however, kept intact certain reliefs relating to voting rights and election oversight while leaving broader membership disputes to be decided by the High Court and statutory authorities.
Background of the Case
The dispute arose from two writ appeals before the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court.
In the first case, Anna Nagar Cricket Club sought membership and voting rights in the district association and permission to participate in tournaments. The High Court ruled in favour of the club. Before the Supreme Court, the district association stated it had no objection to granting voting rights.
The second case was filed by a former office-bearer of the association. He sought directions for conducting fresh elections with a revised voters’ list and asked the court to enforce reforms laid down in S. Nithya v. Union of India, a case that mandated strict governance norms for sports bodies in Tamil Nadu.
The High Court relied on S. Nithya and directed compliance with its reforms - including the requirement that 75% of members of sports associations be eminent sportspersons and that top posts be held only by sportspersons.
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Challenging this, the district association approached the Supreme Court.
Court’s Observations on S. Nithya Judgment
The Bench carefully examined whether the directions in S. Nithya could apply to cricket associations.
The judges noted that S. Nithya arose from issues in athletics governance and focused on reforming state sports bodies to ensure transparency and athlete participation. The ruling had introduced strict conditions about who could hold office and how associations must function.
But the Supreme Court pointed out that cricket operates under a different regulatory framework shaped by its earlier landmark ruling in BCCI v. Cricket Association of Bihar. That judgment had already approved reforms specific to cricket administration.
“The directions in S. Nithya were issued in a different factual and legal context,” the Bench observed, adding that there was “no prescription in the BCCI judgment requiring 75% membership of district associations to consist of eminent sportspersons”.
The Court agreed that applying the athletics-based reforms to cricket would be inappropriate.
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On Applicability of BCCI Constitution to District Associations
Another key issue was whether district cricket associations must strictly follow the Constitution of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
The Court noted that while state associations were directed to align with the BCCI Constitution, there was no specific direction requiring district associations to adopt identical structures.
Rejecting the argument that the Tiruchirappalli body must model its bye-laws entirely on the BCCI framework, the Bench said no judgment or binding document mandated such uniformity at the district level.
At the same time, the Court underlined the importance of good governance in sports. It observed that sports institutions are vital public spaces that promote fraternity and unity. Transparency, professionalism, and fairness must guide their functioning.
The Bench remarked that sporting opportunities are “material resources of the community” and must not be concentrated in the hands of a few.
Pending Membership Disputes
The Court was informed that separate proceedings concerning membership and life members of the association were pending before the High Court and the Registrar under the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act.
Given these ongoing inquiries, the Bench refrained from making any observations on proposed amendments suggested by the association.
Instead, it directed that the pending matters be decided expeditiously so that elections to the district association could be conducted at the earliest.
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Decision
Allowing the appeals in part, the Supreme Court set aside the High Court’s order to the extent it applied the S. Nithya reform directions to the cricket association.
It clarified that those directions do not govern district cricket bodies.
At the same time, it permitted Anna Nagar Cricket Club to exercise voting rights and allowed oversight of future elections as earlier agreed.
The Court directed the High Court and statutory authorities to dispose of pending proceedings promptly so that the association’s election process can move forward without further delay.
The appeals were disposed of accordingly.
Case Title: The Tiruchirappalli District Cricket Association v. Anna Nagar Cricket Club & Anr.
Case No.: Civil Appeal arising out of SLP (C) Nos. 26653–26654 of 2024
Decision Date: February 13, 2026
