The Central Information Commission (CIC) has ruled that the Board of Control for Cricket in India is not a “public authority” under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, overturning its landmark 2018 decision that had brought the cricket board under the ambit of transparency laws.
Information Commissioner P R Ramesh stated that although the BCCI performs significant public functions related to cricket administration and India’s participation in international tournaments, it cannot be classified as a public authority because it is neither owned, controlled, nor substantially financed by the government.
The ruling came while dismissing an appeal seeking information on the legal authority under which the BCCI represents India in international cricket and selects players for national teams. The Commission observed that merely performing “public functions” does not automatically bring an organisation under Section 2(h) of the RTI Act.
The latest order effectively reverses the CIC’s 2018 ruling by then Information Commissioner M Sridhar Acharyulu, who had declared the BCCI a public authority and directed it to appoint public information officers and establish systems to handle RTI queries.
The BCCI had challenged the 2018 order before the Madras High Court, which in 2025 asked the CIC to reconsider the issue in light of Supreme Court observations in the BCCI vs Cricket Association of Bihar case.
Re-examining the matter, the Commission concluded that the cricket board operates independently through revenues generated from media rights, sponsorships, ticket sales and commercial agreements, without substantial government financing or administrative control.
The decision is likely to reignite debate over transparency and accountability in Indian cricket administration, especially considering earlier recommendations by the Law Commission and previous judicial observations favouring greater public scrutiny of the BCCI.
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