CoA Issues Notice to BCCI Office Bearers For Not Allowing CEO Rahul Johri to Attend SGM

During the board’s SGM on Wednesday, acting secretary Amitabh Chaudhary requested Rahul Johri to leave the meeting premises along with other employees.

On Wednesday Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) office bearers conducted the Special General Meeting (SGM) without BCCI CEO Rahul Johri. On Thursday a miffed Committee of Administrators (CoA) issued a notice to the office bearers, including acting president C K Khanna, for not allowing Johri to attend the SGM.

CoA has also sent the message to acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary and treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry. As per the third status report of CoA on April, Johri was considered as its representative in all BCCI meetings but during the board’s Special General Meeting on Wednesday, acting secretary Amitabh requested Johri to leave the meeting premises along with other employees of BCCI.

Amitabh’s reason of contention was Supreme Court of India’s July 24 verdict which has strictly mentioned that only office bearers of state associations can attend the SGM. Obeying the SC order office bearers of BCCI and state associations followed the apex court’s directive “in letter and spirit”. Also read: Australia Pay Dispute: Cricket Australia Proposes Arbitration as Stalemate Continues

“Yes, Mr. Khanna, Mr. Amitabh Chaudhary, and Mr. Aniruddh Chaudhry has all received e-mail communication from the COA. The COA wants to know how Rahul Johri was debarred from the meeting. Till date, Johri, in his capacity as the CEO, has attended all SGM since joining BCCI,” a BCCI official, who did not wish to be quoted, said.

Besides Johri, general manager M V Sridhar was also not allowed to attend the meeting. But it was a general meeting where every stake holders of the board attend and share their expertise on various issues and the necessary secretarial services during the meetings. Also read: Sports Minister Vijay Goel Felicitates Indian Women’s Cricket Team

However, the decision by the action secretary Chaudhary may turn counter-productive for the BCCI as the CoA, in its fourth status report submitted to the Supreme Court, which had praised Chaudhary’s efforts to draw a consensus among members pertaining to adoption of the Lodha Committee Reforms.

Meanwhile, BCCI at the SGM agreed to most of the recommendations of Lodha Committee approved by the Supreme Court of India except five points. At the SGM, the suggestions that are being opposed by the BCCI are one-state-one-vote, the size of the national selection panel, the size of the apex council, age cap and tenure of BCCI officials and distribution of powers and functions of executives.