We are not going to supervise playing of cricket, says Supreme Court
New Delhi: "We are not going to supervise playing of cricket", the Supreme Court Thursday told the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) which sought listing of its plea that players from outside the state be allowed to play in the upcoming TN Premier League.
A bench comprising Justices S A Bobde and B R Gavai said TNCA should raise this issue before the BCCI ombudsman or the apex court appointed amicus curiae, who is assisting the court in the case.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal mentioned the matter for urgent listing before the bench and said that the state cricket association wanted players from outside Tamil Nadu to participate in the TNPL.
The bench asked Sibal whether the association has approached the Committee of Administrators (CoA) on the issue. Sibal said TNCA approached CoA in May but no decision has been taken by them till now.
"We will ask the CoA to decide it," the bench said.
Senior advocate Parag Tripathi, appearing for CoA, claimed that TNCA has not been cooperating and they have not yet adopted the newly approved constitution of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
"Do you want to punish the players who come from outside (the state). Our constitution has been now registered. Players cannot be penalised like this," Sibal said.
To this, the bench observed, "We are not going to supervise playing of cricket". When Sibal said that if the court would not supervise it then where will they go, the bench observed, "You just play the game".
Sibal then said that there are two players from outside the state who are neither part of the Indian Premier League (IPL) nor they are in the international cricket team and there was no harm in allowing them to play the TNPL.
"Can the ombudsman decide it?," the bench asked.
To this, Tripathi said that ombudsman or the amicus can be asked to sort out the issue. The top court had earlier appointed former apex court judge Justice (retd) D K Jain as the ombudsman of BCCI.
Senior advocate P S Narasimha was appointed as an amicus curiae to assist the apex court in the BCCI matter.
The court had earlier asked Narasimha to act as an mediator to resolve various disputes related to cricket administration in the country.
It had also restrained all other courts in India from entertaining or proceeding with any matter pertaining to the BCCI and state cricket associations.
In 2017, the apex court had appointed CoA, headed by former Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) Vinod Rai, to run the affairs of the BCCI and implement the court-approved recommendations of the Justice R M Lodha panel on reforms in the cash-rich cricket body.
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Steel mirrors deployed in Mysuru to discourage public urination
Mysuru (PTI): Fed up with people relieving themselves along roadsides, the Mysuru City Corporation has adopted a unique strategy to curb the practice and promote civic sense by installing reflective steel mirrors along pavements, officials said on Friday.
In what officials described as a first-of-its-kind initiative, the Corporation installed stainless steel sheets with a mirror finish along an 80-metre stretch opposite the Mysuru Suburban Bus Stand.
Officials said the reflective sheets are intended to confront anyone attempting to urinate in public with their own reflection, thereby discouraging the act psychologically.
“The idea is to maintain cleanliness and hygiene, prevent public nuisance, and promote civic sense. It is a simple yet psychological approach that encourages self-awareness through reflection,” officials added.
Soon after the mirrors were installed, videos of the initiative went viral on social media, with many people appreciating the administration’s innovative attempt to address public urination. At the same time, some users pointed out the lack of basic civic sense among people.
Several social media users also suggested that more public toilets, maintained in a hygienic condition, were needed to further discourage open urination.
Explaining how the idea originated, Nitesh Patil, Administrator and Regional Commissioner of the Mysuru City Corporation, told PTI that despite a public toilet being located next to the bus stand, many people continued to urinate in the open.
Even fines and warnings failed to deter them from relieving themselves against vacant compound walls, leaving behind a foul smell.
“One of our engineers came up with this idea, and we decided to implement it. The initiative has received a very positive response from the public, social media, and the press. We are now planning to identify more such locations in the city and install similar reflectors,” he said.
According to him, to ensure that the installation is both effective and visually appealing, LED lighting that switches on along with the streetlights has also been added, causing the stretch to glow at night and enhancing the city’s appearance.
Patil said the initiative had helped create civic awareness while also beautifying the city.
“We want our city to be clean and hygienic. We aspire to become the cleanest city in the country,” he added, recalling that Mysuru secured third place nationally in the Swachh Survekshan Awards 2024–25 last year.
