CIC Overturns 2018 Order, Rules BCCI Is Not Public Authority Under RTI Act
CIC rules BCCI is not a public authority under RTI Act, overturning 2018 order.
The Central Information Commission (CIC) on Monday ruled that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) does not qualify as a “public authority” under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, effectively exempting it from obligations to respond to RTI applications.In its order, Information Commissioner P.R. Ramesh held that while the BCCI performs significant public functions such as administering cricket in India and selecting national teams for international tournaments, it cannot be brought under the RTI framework as it is neither owned, controlled, nor substantially financed by the government.
The Commission stated that the BCCI “cannot be classified as a public authority within the meaning of Section 2(h) of the RTI Act,” and therefore the provisions of the transparency law would not apply in the present case. The decision came in response to an appeal seeking information on the legal basis under which the BCCI represents India and manages player selection for national and international cricket events.
The ruling represents a reversal of a 2018 CIC decision, which had classified the BCCI as a public authority. That earlier order, issued by then Information Commissioner and law professor M. Sridhar Acharyulu, had directed the cricket body to appoint public information officers and comply with proactive disclosure requirements under Section 4 of the RTI Act.
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Following the 2018 ruling, the BCCI challenged the directive before the Madras High Court. In September 2025, the High Court remitted the matter back to the CIC for reconsideration, instructing it to re-examine the legal position in light of Supreme Court observations in the BCCI vs Cricket Association of Bihar case.The latest decision is expected to have significant implications for transparency demands involving the cricket board, which remains India’s most influential sporting body but operates as a private autonomous organisation under the existing legal framework.
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