Supreme Court appoints former judge D K Jain as first ombudsman in BCCI

CHENNAI: Displeased that differences between Vinod Rai and Diana Edulji are getting wider by the day and being played out in public domain, the Supreme Court on Thursday inducted Lt Gen Ravi Thodge as the third member of CoA. The bench consisting of Justices SA Bobde and AM Sapre also appointed former judge AK Jain as the first ombudsman of the board under the new constitution.

The hearing, which resumed for the first time this year after many adjournments, saw the bench come down heavily on Rai and Edulji washing dirty linen in public. After pondering over three names, the court after consulting the amicus curiae PS Narasimha named Thodge, who is currently in Nagpur, as the third member. A Param Vishisht Seva Medal winner, Thodge had commanded the Gorkha Rifles 5th Battalion in the Kargil War in 1999.

In many ways, BCCI had reasons to smile after a long time as the Supreme Court also informed CoA that it would consider an order regarding when to conduct elections and the annual general meeting. Certain quarters of BCCI are also impressed with Narasimha, who they believe has been more accommodating to grievances.

With regards to the appointment of ombudsman, BCCI and state associations had their way on that too. CoA had requested the court that an ombudsman be appointed soon as the incident involving Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul needs immediate hearing. To rule on the sexual harassment charge against CEO Rahul Johri was another reason why the ombudsman was needed. Though the counsel argued that the appointment can wait till the annual general meeting, they agreed on Jain after the Supreme Court put forth his name. 

While many expect him to deal with the Pandya-Rahul incident, Jain is also set to reopen the harassment case against Johri. It is understood that as Rai and Edulji differed over the clearance given to Johri, Jain will look into that case. “That issue is similar to Pandya and Rahul’s where the CoA was not able to arrive at an unanimous decision. The amicus curiae was informed about it as well as the findings of the independent committee. Even there, Veena Gowda’s recommendations were not made public and was handled poorly by the CoA. Jain will look into the allegations against Johri too,” sources said.

Meanwhile, state associations have requested the Supreme Court to direct CoA to release funds, which was stopped following an order in 2016. CoA also did not release funds because they failed to comply with the recommendations of the Lodha panel. While the associations argued that they have not received a penny for over two years, the court said it would consult the amicus curiae before issuing further orders.

With regards to election, there is a feeling that dates may be announced with a caveat that only those units that accept the reforms can vote. “The court has said it will decide soon. With an ombudsman in place, it will help to solve many problems that several units are facing,” a BCCI official said.