A group of retired sports persons, including former Olympians and Test cricketers, have filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court asking for the recommendations of the court-appointed Justic Lodha Committee to be incorporated into all sports in the country.
On Monday, BCCI president Anurag Thakur and secretary Ajay Shirke were both removed from their posts after the Supreme Court passed its final order accepting the Lodha recommendations for sweeping changes in the BCCI, a move welcomed by the petitioners who called for similar reforms across all sports.
The petition was filed in the form of a PIL by various people including former hockey player Ashok Kumar, as well as former swimmer and Olympian Nisha Millet.
"There's always room for influential people to contribute to the running of sport, but they should be more part of the backroom, and they will always be good in getting sponsorships and marketing the sport," Kumar told ESPN.
"In hockey, there's nothing wrong with the upper body, but it is at the lower levels that the lack of good administration is seen. There is so much talent around, but are we doing enough to encourage them? If you go to any national championships or lower-rung events, players are treated miserably. We need more effective grooming of players at the state, district and school levels.
"This Supreme Court order is good, because it is important to have ex-players who have managerial experience to come forward. A player who is active must never feel afraid to approach the administration and must not kowtow to their wishes."
Millet, an Arjuna Award winner and the only female Indian swimmer to take part in the 2000 Sydney Games, felt that filing the petition was vital since there was a need for "young blood" in the sport.
"If you see the administration of swimming in India, it has been dominated by the Nanavati brothers for the last four decades or so (General Secretary Kamlesh Nanavati and CEO Virendra Nanavati). If one doesn't get elected, then the other is always there to fill in.
"There have been instances when big brands have wanted to associate with Indian swimming, but then after a lot of back-and-forth, those plans haven't materialised. There are so many talented swimmers around, but only one (16-year-old Maana Patel) has a sponsorship with Olympic Gold Quest."
Though Millet admitted that the PIL was still in the "preliminary stage" and that she was "not expecting anything to happen very soon", she believed that a clean-up of the sport was in order.
"It was a real shock to see someone like Suresh Kalmadi's name being brought back, even if it was for the role of life president. It's better to have someone like Sebastian Coe (who was part of the 2012 London Olympics organising committee) or even the way that Abhinav Bindra was asked to prepare the report for shooting after the Rio Olympics.
"In our days, we couldn't afford to open our mouths, because we knew we would get dropped. I would say if the Indian Olympic Association has to get suspended (due to government intervention), then let it be done."
It is understood that the petition was filed before the apex court had closed for the Christmas break.