[caption id="attachment_24736" align="aligncenter" width="580"]View of Supreme Court of India in Delhi on 26 February 2014.  Manit.DNA Supreme Court allows BCCI to release funds for the first test. File Pic[/caption] Internet Desk: BCCI gets temporary relief from Supreme Court to conduct the first test at Rajkot. The court has allowed BCCI to release Rs 58.6 lakhs to Saurasthra Cricket Association to efficiently host the first Test of the series against England. The Rajkot Test was in jeopardy due to shortage of funds to conduct the Test and to pay the bills for the visiting England team. BCCI was barred from disbursing funds after being rapped by the court for non-compliance with the Lodha panel reforms. The court has also asked the Lodha panel to appoint an auditor at the earliest to examine BCCI’s account amid claims it was unable to host the Test or the series properly in the absence of funds. Supreme Court has, thus, empowered Lodha panel to appoint experts to vet all BCCI contracts in relation to the 2017 cricket season. In the plea filed earlier, the Amicus and the Lodha panel believed BCCI was in contempt of court for not following the directives handed out earlier. Both teams are already in Rajkot and undergoing the final practices before the first of the five Tests. There were reports earlier where BCCI had asked the England Cricket Board (ECB) had asked the visitors to foot the bill until funds were made available for hotel stay, travel and other arrangements. Ajay Shirke the BCCI secretary had raised doubts over hosting of the series despite ECB agreeing to pay for the expenses and the spokesperson suggesting the series was going ahead as planned.  

Supreme Court allows BCCI to release Rs 58.66 lakhs for first test at Rajkot