Diana Edulji, the former India women's team captain, remains of the view that the Vinod Rai-led Committee of Administrators (COA), which ran Indian cricket for three years until last October's BCCI elections, was wrong in letting ex-CEO Rahul Johri continue in his position for as long as he did.
Johri, whose resignation was accepted on Thursday (July 9) by the new BCCI regime, was allowed to continue despite complaints of sexual harassment against him and Edulji, former co-member of the COA, feels the way the entire investigation in the matter was handled, left a lot to be desired.
"When this matter broke out in October 2018, it was not shocking for me as there was a previous history which we were made aware of," Edulji told IANS. "If it was not for me, the poor complainant would have not received her apology letter from Rahul Johri."
"Even then a lot of pressure was made on the complainant to close the matter. The way things moved, it looked like to me he was going to be covered up. The chairman and I had our differences and I made it clear that as a woman CoA member, I wouldn't like this person sitting in the same room."
Edulji says she was never in agreement and even objected to the way the independent committee handled the investigation that was carried out.
"The independent committee was formed but that also wasn't proper and I had objected, but I was overruled on every step I took towards getting justice," she said.
"In fact, I remember the conversation where it was decided that Johri would be asked to resign. I highlighted to Rai, Johri's contract clauses that brought disrepute to the BCCI, however, after a day Rai turned down to the mutually agreed stand. And that was that."
"I disagreed to the forming of the independent committee as one person was conflicted, it is minuted."
Johri later received a clean chit on the matter but was at the same time asked to undergo gender sensitisation, which Edulji says didn't surprise her.
"Looking at the way the independent committee worked, it was very clear that he would get away. The women who deposed wanted cross-examination to be done, that didn't happen, the reports weren't given to them. Without their statements being handed over to them, could they even have gone to the court to address their grievances?" asked Edulji.
"It was shocking as I had made it very clear that they should know what is wrong. Everything I said was overlooked and he was given a clean-chit.
"Shocking bit was that Johri and wife were already at the BCCI HQ when the clean chit was announced, he wouldn't have been at the office already unless he knew before hand that he was getting a clean chit, the CFO welcomed him back with a bouquet and a cake cutting ceremony followed. An email was sent to the CEO that he should resume duties, but I had objected," she added.
"Then he was made to undergo gender sensitisation and nothing came out of it. No report was sent to us as to what followed. No answers were given."
(Inputs from IANS)
