The future of BCCI CEO Rahul Johri, who is facing allegations of sexual harassment, will be decided by an independent enquiry committee, with the Committee of Administrators (CoA) deciding to recuse itself and any other internal body from examining Johri’s explanation.
An independent three-member panel chaired by Rakesh Sharma, a former judge of the Allahabad High Court, and also including PC Sharma, a former Central Bureau of Investigation director, and Barkha Singh, a former chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women, will examine the case. The BCCI will make available to them all official documentation pertaining to allegations of harassment against Johri.
Johri submitted his explanation on October 20. The CoA has given the independent panel a fortnight to arrive at a conclusion. Although neither Johri nor the CoA has made any public comment, ESPNcrinfo understands Johri has denied the allegations. The two-member CoA comprising Vinod Rai, the former comptroller and auditor general of India, and Diana Edulji, the former India women captain, along with a senior lawyer of the BCCI’s legal team met on October 20 and 22 to chalk out the next step.
The CoA members disagreed on what course to follow. Edulji suggested that Johri either resign or his contract be terminated, but Rai did not agree, and felt an independent inquiry was necessary since the allegations were anonymous, and dealt with a period before Johri joined the BCCI.
He also felt, a BCCI release said, “it was necessary to provide natural justice to the CEO by following a due process of law. The Chairman was very clear that in similar instances, the person against whom allegations had been made, were permitted to represent their case before an independent committee which would then take a considered view after weighing all evidence.
“Ms. Edulji felt that neither is such an inquiry called for nor is it appropriate. She was of the view that considering the details and nature of the allegation, there were sufficient grounds for his removal. Ms Edulji informed the Chairman she would approach Learned Amicus Curiae Shri Gopal Subramanium for further guidance, if no action is taken and the CEO is allowed to continue.”
Johri has been on leave since the allegations surfaced, and he was stood down from attending last week’s ICC chief executives’ committee meeting in Singapore. Following the announcement by the BCCI of the external panel, Johri will be kept away from his job and his current workplace until the external committee conveys its decision to the COA, and not until October 29 as earlier announced.
Rai said it was only proper for the CoA to recuse itself because it deals with Johri on a daily basis on many matters and their decision “in large number of ways could be influenced or prejudiced.”
“The CoA must be seen to provide him [Johri] natural justice which means he should be allowed to present his case in front of the independent committee,” Rai said. “A due process of law has to be undergeone. We had to take a transparent, independent, distance view.”