BCCI CoA Saw no Conflict in Kapil Dev-led CAC: Vinod Rai

Quizzed what would be the repercussions if the Ethics Officer does find the trio conflicted, Rai refused to delve further.

The Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) chief Vinod Rai has made it clear that the committee wouldn’t have given the three-member Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) led by Kapil Dev the go ahead if they found any conflict of interest issues in them before appointing the head coach of the Indian team.

Rai’s comments come after the BCCI Ethics Officer DK Jain sent notices to the CAC – Anshuman Gaekwad and Shantha Rangaswamy being the other two members – for their alleged conflict of interest.

“The CoA did not see a conflict and hence the appointment was done. Even if there was a difference of opinion within the CoA, that person who was in the minority has not asked for his/her opinion to be recorded,” Rai was quoted was saying by IANS.

Quizzed what would be the repercussions if the Ethics Officer does find the trio conflicted, Rai refused to delve further.

“Firstly, it is a hypothetical question, and secondly, it is unfair on me to prejudge a decision of the Ethics Officer,” he pointed out.

Meanwhile, another member of the CoA Diana Edulji said that the Ethics Officer is the final authority on the conflict of interest rules.

“To be honest, I am not against any individual. But even in the case of WV Raman’s appointment as the women’s team coach, I had said that the BCCI constitution has no place for an ad-hoc CAC. Similarly, in Shastri’s case also, if the Ethics Officer does rule against the CAC and says there is conflict, the process will automatically have to be redone keeping the rules of the constitution in mind,” she explained.

“I did voice my opinion from the word go that following it to the hilt could be an issue, but till the time we have an order from the SC on the same, we have to follow it and there is no two ways about it. We can’t override the order of either the SC or the Ethics Officer because that isn’t the job of the CoA. We have to respect the Ethics Officer and the Supreme Court’s call.”