The Supreme Court refused to lift the Bombay High Court’s stay on Maharashtra Cricket Association Apex Council elections, with CJI Surya Kant saying the injunction was justified and prevented a “bigger fraud” by the MCA leadership during disputed elections.
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court declined to lift the stay imposed by the Bombay High Court on the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Apex Council elections.
A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice Vipul M Pancholi made a succinct yet firm observation about the MCA’s situation.
The top court stated,
“Injunction is justified. They (Bombay High Court) stopped you from committing bigger fraud! Do not invite more comments from us,”
The court pointed out that the matter is still under consideration before the High Court, where the MCA can present its arguments.
The apex court reiterated,
“Matter is pending before the High Court. You can go and argue before the High Court,”
On January 6, the High Court had halted the MCA Apex Council elections, citing serious concerns regarding the legality, fairness, and transparency of the last-minute induction of new members into the general body of the MCA right before the polls.
This interim order posed a setback for the incumbent MCA President and NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) MLA Rohit Pawar.
The High Court highlighted that approximately 400 new members had been added to the MCA general body just two months prior to the election schedule, which was published on December 23, 2025.
The top court said,
“Injunction is justified. They (Bombay High Court) stopped you from committing bigger fraud! Do not invite more comments from us,”
The High Court also expressed a prima facie opinion that the petitioners were not provided adequate opportunities to contest the admission of such a large number of members and their inclusion on the voters’ list.
The Bench remarked,
“Admission of about 400 new members would certainly change the whole complexion and, to a certain extent, the Constitution of the MCA in certain aspects,”
This order followed petitions submitted by former Indian cricketer Kedar Jadhav, the Latur District Cricket Association, Anant Nilkanth Mate (a life member of the MCA), and Shikshana Prasarak Mandali’s Sir Parashurambhau College, Pune.
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Jadhav’s plea specifically claimed that the new list included relatives of NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar such as his wife Kunti Pawar and father-in-law Satish Magar as well as NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule’s daughter Revati, Baramati Agro’s Subhash Gulave, and over 30 other NCP leaders.
The petition alleged that these names were added “all of a sudden without following due process of law.” Jadhav contended that the list “smirks of building dynasties” by including close relatives of the current president.
After the High Court temporarily halted the elections, the MCA appealed to the Supreme Court.
Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing the MCA, argued that the injunction was “illegal.” However, the Supreme Court chose not to entertain the appeal and directed the MCA to present its arguments before the High Court.