Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: The High Court of Bombay at Goa has directed the Inspector General of Societies (IGS) to complete, within six months, an inquiry into complaints alleging large-scale financial irregularities by the managing committee of the Goa Cricket Association (GCA).
The direction was issued while hearing a petition filed by Mahesh Chavan, who alleged that crores of rupees received by the GCA from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) were diverted and misused. The petitioner claimed that funds earmarked for developing cricket infrastructure in Goa were instead spent on events jointly organised by the BCCI and the GCA, amounting to financial impropriety.
Chavan sought a detailed court-monitored inquiry into the matter and also requested the appointment of an administrator to run the GCA until the probe was concluded.
Opposing the plea, Advocate General Devidas Pangam submitted that the Inspector General of Societies has no statutory authority to appoint an administrator, stating that such powers rest with the government. He informed the court that the IGS is empowered to inquire into complaints and that a show-cause notice has already been issued to the GCA managing committee in connection with the allegations.
The Advocate General further told the court that the matter is scheduled for hearing before the Inspector General on February 27, 2026, and that four months had been sought to conduct further investigation.
However, counsel for the petitioner, Rohit Bras D’Sa, pressed for a definite timeline for completing the inquiry, pointing to prolonged inaction despite the seriousness of the allegations.
After considering submissions from both sides, the Bench directed the Inspector General of Societies to hear both the complainant and the respondents and proceed with the inquiry. The court ordered that the entire process be concluded within a period of six months.
