Johri issue: Choudhary questions formation of panel

BCCI's acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary has questioned the appointment of the three-member committee by the Committee of Administrators (CoA) to look into the sexual harassment allegations against the cricket board's Chief Executive Officer Rahul Johri, even as fresh charges surfaced against the official.

The committee comprises Justice Rakesh Sharma (former Judge, Allahabad High Court), who will be the chairman, Barkha Singh (former chairperson, Delhi Commission for Women) and P C Sharma, IPS (Retd) (former director, CBI).

In a letter to the CoA, Choudhary insisted the matter needed to be referred to the Supreme Court or the BCCI General Body following the disagreement within the two-member CoA committee. He challenged the functioning of CoA's chairman Vinod Rai for asserting his will over the other member, Diana Eduljee.

Choudhary also accused the CoA of dealing with the allegations against Johri in a "cavalier manner" and criticised it for "days of inaction" between Johri’s submission of his explanation to the CoA on October 20 and the setting up of the independent panel.

“Presently, the committee comprises two members and both members are equal in status for all purposes. That being so, the learned chairman has no power or authority to prevail over the views of the other esteemed member and take decisions unilaterally on behalf of the CoA or on behalf of the BCCI,” Choudhary wrote on Thursday.

“The media advisory issued by the BCCI and the subsequent reports clearly lay down that one member of the Committee of Administrators was decisive in the matter that there was enough material warranting strict action against the CEO. The learned chairman, on the other hand, decided to have further inquiries.”

Choudhary said in view of the disagreement between the two members of CoA, the enquiry committee formed becomes a “suspect”.

He added, “The media release says a committee comprising three persons will look into the matter without informing how the committee was constituted or who chose its members. In view of the admitted position of one member completely disagreeing with the chairman, the esteemed member could hardly have had anything to do with the constitution of the three-member committee. This makes the enquiry committee further suspect.”

Meanwhile, former Mumbai captain Shishir Hattangadi took to Twitter to reveal that another woman has raised a complaint against Johri, stating the CEO asked sexual favours from her. Hattangadi said he had referred the matter to the CoA.