The flamboyant Indian cricketers Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul were involved in a controversy for their comments on a TV chat show “Koffee with Karan”. However, their troubles have been started again as they have given notices, by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Ombudsman Justice DK Jain, to be present for the hearings in the controversy related to their comments.
As per the quotes in ESPNCricinfo, Jain said, “I have sent them the notice. It is for them to appear or not. It is part of natural justice. You cannot hold someone guilty without having given them the opportunity to present their case.”
The hearings will take place in Mumbai, with Pandya’s hearing scheduled for April 9 and Rahul’s the next day. As the ICC World Cup 2019 approaches near, the BCCI is looking forward to ending the controversy before the tournament.
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Speaking to IANS, a senior BCCI official said that everyone in the boards feels that it is time that the issue should be put to rest. They feel that the punishment cannot be bigger than the crime and the players have already paid for their mistake.
The BCCI official explained,
“Everyone in the board feels that this issue needs to come to an end. The players committed a mistake and there is no two-way about it. But the players were sent home from the tour of Australia, they did apologize for their mistake and are also set to depose before the ombudsman. With the World Cup around the corner, the general sentiment is that the matter should be put to an end.”
Another BCCI functionary said that the ombudsman has been asked sought out the matter as soon as possible and Jain expected to submit his report within one week after meeting the players.
Elaborating the same, a BCCI official said, “There is no timeline as such, but everybody understands that substantial match loss has already happened and the punishment cannot be bigger than the crime. The ombudsman will in all likelihood submit his report within a week of meeting the players and getting their side of the story.”
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Both Pandya and Rahul had received a suspension from CoA in January this year over their impudent remarks on “Koffee with Karan”. The players who were in Australia at that time were called back home and suspended two days later. However, suspension of both the players was provisionally lifted on January 24.
Pandya and Rahul are currently playing in the ongoing season of Indian Premier League (IPL). Pandya is playing for Mumbai Indians (MI) while Rahul is playing for Kings XI Punjab (KXIP).
