Board of Cricket for Control in India (BCCI) ethics officer Justice (Retd) DK Jain served a notice to the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) president Rupa Gurunath over an alleged conflict of interest.
In 2019, daughter of former BCCI president N Srinivasan, Rupa Gurunath became the first woman to lead a state cricket association in the country.
The notice has been served following a complaint filed by Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) life member Sanjeev Gupta. Gupta has given a deadline of December 24 to file her response.
In the complaint filed, Gupta has alleged that apart from being TNCA chief, Rupa is also holding the position of Director at India Cements Limited which is a parent company that owns IPL team Chennai Super Kings. Therefore, giving rise to an instance of conflict of interest.
Gupta backed his complaint with different rules and stated “she must relinquish her one post at once”. The BCCI constitution prohibits a person from occupying more than one post in the cricket board or state association.
Taking note of the complaint filed by Gupta, Justice Jain served a notice to Rupa Gurunath stating, “Take notice that a complaint has been received by the Ethics Officer of the Board of Control for Cricket in India under Article 39 of the Rules and Regulations of the BCCI, regarding certain acts, allegedly constituting as ‘conflict of interest’ on your part.”
“You may file your written response to the accompanying Complaint, supported by duly executed affidavit, on or before 24th December 2020, with the Office of the Ethics Officer, BCCI, Mumbai for further proceedings in the matter,” the notice said.
In the notice, it is also mentioned that in case of failure to respond to the notice, the ethics officer shall be constrained to proceed in her absence, without giving any further opportunity to file her response. A copy of the service has always been sent to BCCI, seeking parent body’s response.
