A three-member probe panel set up by the Committee of Administrators (CoA) cleared BCCI CEO Rahul Johri of sexual harassment charges on Wednesday.
The CoA was divided: Vinod Rai concluded that Johri could resume office, while Diana Edulji insisted that he should be sacked. Since Rai, as the CoA chairman, prevailed, Johri is set to resume office after a gap of three weeks.
The BCCI statement quoted only a part of the report, but the CoA is expected to share the panel’s findings and recommendations with the Supreme Court in its status report. “The allegations of sexual harassment in the office or elsewhere are false, baseless and have been fabricated and manufactured with an ulterior motive to harm Mr Rahul Johri,” Justice Sharma said in the report. “The complainants have failed to provide their cases as set up by them and we (me and Smt. Barkha Singh) are of the opinion that Mr Rahul Johri has not abused his powers,” he said.
In its statement, the CoA said: “Since there is no consensus between the two members of the Committee of Administrators regarding what action should be taken against Mr Rahul Johri, the chairman stated that the natural consequence would be that Mr Johri continues as the CEO of BCCI and is entitled to resume office. Ms Edulji disagreed with this. However, the chairman reiterated that Mr Rahul Johri should continue as the CEO of BCCI and resume his duties, as a natural consequence.”
