Ahmedabad: The ongoing election dispute within the Baroda Cricket Association (BCA) is now becoming a financial and administrative nightmare, with the association bleeding approximately ₹10 lakh every month just to safeguard uncounted ballot boxes. As 24 frustrated candidates plead for their election results to be declared, the Gujarat High Court has refused to intervene, citing that the core legal battle remains pending before the Supreme Court of India.

The ₹10 Lakh Room at New Era School

During a tense hearing at the Gujarat High Court, the legal counsel representing the candidates highlighted the staggering logistical and financial toll the stalled elections have taken on the association. The uncounted ballot boxes are currently sealed inside a room at the New Era School.

Because the votes are locked in a fierce legal dispute, the boxes must be kept under the strict, constant supervision of the police and the district collector. To maintain this high-security arrangement while the legal battle drags on, the BCA is being forced to incur a massive monthly cost of approximately ₹10 lakh, strictly to cover the rent of the school premises and the associated security detail.

A Body Without a “Head, Heart, and Lungs

The candidates approached the High Court to have their specific election results declared so that an administrative body could finally be formed, arguing that their respective posts were not the ones in dispute.

The court was informed that out of the 31 total posts within the BCA, only three are disputed. However, these are the most critical positions: the president, the honorary secretary, and the honorary treasurer.

The High Court bench pointed out a fatal flaw in the candidates’ request: without a president, secretary, and treasurer, a functional “Apex Council” simply cannot be legally constituted. Acknowledging the administrative paralysis, the candidates’ counsel lamented that forming a committee without these core office bearers is the equivalent of having a “body without the head, heart, and lungs functioning.”

Caretaker Committee Under Fire

The delay has left the BCA in the hands of an interim, five-member caretaker body whose tenure has allegedly long expired. The petitioners expressed deep anxiety that this interim body is unlawfully taking major policy decisions while the newly elected candidates are forced to wait.

The High Court, however, offered no immediate relief for this concern. The judges sternly reminded the petitioners that the interim arrangement explicitly prohibits the caretaker body from taking major policy decisions. If the interim body is violating this rule, the court noted that the proper legal remedy is to file a contempt of court petition rather than demanding a premature declaration of election results for an incomplete council.

All Eyes on the Supreme Court

Ultimately, the HC has tied its hands, stating that it cannot declare the results or constitute the new BCA board while the overarching dispute is tagged with a civil appeal (Civil Appeal No. 4235 of 2014) at the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court could not hear the matter before the summer vacation, and the case is now tentatively listed to be heard on July 21, 2026. Consequently, the Gujarat High Court ordered the current interim administrative arrangement to continue and adjourned the BCA hearings to the first week of August 2026.

Until the Supreme Court breaks the deadlock, the BCA’s uncounted ballots will remain locked away under heavy guard, costing the association another ₹10 lakh every single month. DeshGujarat