Supreme Court Appoints Justice Hrishikesh Roy As Bihar Cricket Association Ombudsman After Justice AS Oka Declines
The Supreme Court has appointed Justice (Retd.) Hrishikesh Roy as the Ombudsman of the Bihar Cricket Association after Justice (Retd.) Abhay S. Oka expressed his inability to accept the role, citing its adjudicatory nature.
A Bench of Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Justice K.V. Viswanathan passed the order while dealing with miscellaneous applications arising out of pending special leave petitions concerning the affairs of the Bihar Cricket Association.
The Court noted that by its earlier order dated March 20, 2026, it had appointed Justice Oka as Ombudsman. However, he declined the assignment on the grounds that the position “involves some adjudicatory function,” indicating that the role was not merely advisory but carried quasi-judicial responsibilities.
Taking note of this development, the Bench proceeded to appoint Justice Hrishikesh Roy, also a former judge of the top court, to take over as Ombudsman. The Court directed that the fees and other modalities relating to the appointment would be determined in consultation with the parties involved in the dispute.
“Justice Oka has expressed his disinclination to act as the Ombudsman of the Bihar Cricket Association considering that it involves some adjudicatory function… we appoint Hon'ble Mr. Justice Hrishikesh Roy, former Judge of this Court to act as the Ombudsman of the Bihar Cricket Association.”, the court said.
Importantly, the Court clarified that the report already submitted by the previous Ombudsman, former Supreme Court Judge Justice L. N. Rao, would remain on record and be considered at the next hearing. The matter has been posted for further consideration on May 13, 2026, specifically to examine the findings and recommendations contained in Justice Rao's report.
Cause Title: SECRETARY, BIHAR CRICKET ASSOCIATION VERSUS BIHAR CRICKET ASSOCIATION & ORS.
Appearance:
For Petitioner(s) :Mr. Rajiv Shakdher, Sr. Adv. Mr. Talib Mustafa, Adv. Mr. Lzafeer Ahmad B. F., AOR Mr. Ahmad Ibrahim, Adv. Ms. Raksha Agrawal, Adv. Mr. Karan Khetani, Adv. Mr. Shashwat Bajpa, Adv.
For Respondent(s) :Mr. Vikas Mehta, AOR Mr. Kartik Pandey, Adv. Ms. Nitika Grover, Adv. Mr. Vaishak Omanakuttan, Adv. Mr. Atmaram N.s. Nadkarni, Sr. Adv. Mr. Salvador Santosh Rebello, AOR Ms. Manisha Gupta, Adv. Ms. Himanshi Nagpal, Adv. Mr. Raghav Sharma, Adv. Ms. Moulishree Pathak, Adv. Ms. Arzu Paul, Adv. Ms. Deepti Arya, Adv. Mr. Prashant Dixit, Adv. Mr. Aakarshan Aditya, AOR Mr. Satish C. Kaushik, Adv. Mr. Vibhu Tiwari, Adv. Mr. Tarurarg Gaur, Adv.