BCCI wins ruling to remain outside RTI ambit

Key facts

• The Central Information Commission (CIC) ruled that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) does not qualify as a public authority under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
• The order, passed by Information Commissioner P R Ramesh, reverses a 2018 ruling by former commissioner M Sridhar Acharyulu.
• The CIC found that the BCCI is a private society registered under Tamil Nadu law and is not created by Parliament or any state legislature.
• The ruling relied on Section 2(h) of the RTI Act and Supreme Court judgments including Zee Telefilms v Union of India, Thalappalam Service Cooperative Bank v State of Kerala, and Dalco Engineering v Satish Prabhakar Padhye.
• The BCCI generates revenue through sponsorships, international broadcasting deals, IPL media rights, and distributions from the International Cricket Council (ICC).