The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Ethics Officer D.K. Jain said to the board that former India captain Sourav Ganguly has been in a conflict of interests. In the mail accessed by IANS, Jain has given Ganguly the benefit of doubt and has also said that he must not hold more than one position.
“In the instant case, having regard to the afore noted stand of Mr. Ganguly, viz (i) that if it is found by the Ethics Officer that his presence in the CAC (Cricket Advisory Committee) has resulted in a “conflict of interest” situation, as envisaged in Rule 38 of the Rules, his Reply in these Complaints may be treated as his resignation there from immediate effect and (ii) that his involvement with the IPL Franchise has come to an end in May 2019, I declare that in the present case the “Conflict of Interest” is tractable,” he added.
“Although it is trite law that the ignorance of the law is no excuse and, Mr. Ganguly was obliged to disclose the requisite information as stipulated in Rule 38(2) of the Rules, but bearing in the mind the fact that the Rules have come into existence only after August 2018, I am inclined to give benefit of doubt to Mr. Ganguly that perhaps he may not have realised that his occupying the said three posts did involve “Conflict of Interest,” he shared.
“Accordingly, I direct the BCCI to ensure that Mr. Sourav Ganguly relinquishes his interests, which give rise to “Conflict of Interest” and does not continue to occupy more than one post as enumerated in Rule 38(4) of the Rules at any given point of time,” he wrote.
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Ganguly is currently handling more than one post. He is the president of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), advisor to IPL side Delhi Capitals and also a member of the Cricket Advisory Committee for the BCCI. However, he in his letter to the ombudsman had made his position clear, saying he had resigned from all the committees. Former India players VVS Laxman and Sachin Tendulkar were also served notices for a similar reason.
“At present I do not hold any post whatsoever or howsoever in the BCCI. I am neither a member of the Apex Council of the BCCI nor an office bearer nor a member of any of the Cricket Committees constituted by the BCCI under its Constitution. I am also not connected with the administration, management or running of the IPL by being a member of any of the committees or other organisational units set up by the BCCI in connection with the IPL,” he added.
“Previously I had been a part of the BCCI Technical Committee; the IPL Technical Committee and the IPL Governing Council. I have resigned and/or withdrawn myself from all the said Committees. I am not a part of any committee/council/entity which has control or supervisory power or powers of management or administration of the IPL,” Ganguly’s letter read.
