Indian Sports Minister Sonowal Says BCCI Is Accountable To The Public

Asked about his statement in the Indian Parliament that Board of Control for Cricket in India was not a Sports Federation recognized by the government, Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said, "The Honorable Supreme Court has said that the BCCI is a public body, so the BCCI is accountable to the public," according to the PTI. On being prodded whether the BCCI should come under the Right to Information Act, he said, "All I am saying is that the BCCI should be accountable to the public and its functioning transparent." Sonowal said, "Sports should be corruption free and transparent so that fans and sportslovers have faith in sports. The sports bodies should function transparently and they should be accountable to the public." Sonowal also said that the Indian Premier League spot-fixing and betting scandal "prompted the government to push for introduction of Sports Fraud Bill in the Parliament in the ongoing monsoon session" (PTI, 7/30).