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Conflict of interest prevails despite ombudsman’s orders
MUMBAI: In the past 10 months, retired Justice AP Shah, the ombudsman appointed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), has been flooded with complaints
MUMBAI: In the past 10 months, retired Justice AP Shah, the ombudsman appointed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), has been flooded with complaints alleging conflict of interest.
The ombudsman has passed orders in six cases out of the 38 complaints till Sunday. However, when HT examined whether Shah’s orders have been implemented, it was noticed that the orders have either been ignored or not completely put into practice thus raising serious concerns.
In one of the most high-profile cases of conflict of interest, India’s veteran off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, who floated Bhajji Sports came under the scanner for its association with six domestic teams. The cricketer, in his reply, said that the company was owned by his mother Avtar Kaur.
Not convinced with Harbhajan’s response, Shah stated: “BCCI should take an unequivocal undertaking from Singh that he will not be involved in the management of Bhajji Sports and under no circumstances will he be associated with the company’s products (including by way of sponsorship), so long as his contract with the BCCI is alive.”
However, Harbhajan is often seen promoting Bhajji Sports products on the social media. Last Saturday, Harbhajan unveiled a new jacket of his company via his Twitter and Instagram accounts.
Bhajji Sports director Vikram Sidhu defended the star off-spinner’s connection with the brand. “He has no commercial interest. He promotes our products as a brand ambassador. Since we are not a very big company, we don’t pay him a fee for promoting our products,” Sidhu told HT.
In another case, former India batsman Pravin Amre, the ombudsman had ruled that he cannot continue being on the managing committee of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) and as a coaching staff member of the IPL team Delhi Daredevils.
Although the ombudsman has passed the order in July, the MCA is yet to act upon it. “Amre’s issue will be discussed in the next managing committee,” informed MCA’s joint secretary Dr Unmesh Khanvilkar.
When Shah was informed about the non-implementation of his orders in several cases, he said: “I am not aware as I expected them (orders) to be implemented. I will have to look into it whether the orders are implemented.”
