BCCI selectors accused of taking sexual favours by Lodha panel Secretary

The stand-off between the BCCI and the Lodha committee has refused to die down with yet another controversy set to make matters worse between the two bodies. According to a report in the Indian Express, BCCI Secretary Ajay Shirke, in an email to President Anurag Thakur, has claimed that Gopal Sankaranarayanan, who is the Lodha committee Secretary, accused the BCCI of being “mute spectator to corrupt practices” and levelled accusations against selectors of taking sexual favours.

In the 14-page report, Shirke writes that the meeting was conducted in a cordial manner and he had informed the committee of BCCI’s decision to file a review petition. But, before the end of the meeting, Sankaranarayanan told Justice Lodha and his two colleagues that he had something to say.

“The Secretary then started to address me and stated that there was large apathy in the BCCI."

“The Secretary then started to address me and stated that there was large apathy in the BCCI and spoke of the shocking manner that BCCI conducts its affairs and activities and he stated that the BCCI has been a mute spectator to what he said were corrupt practices rampantly prevalent in the BCCI,” writes Shirke, reported Indian Express.

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According to Shirke, the Lodha committee secretary then went on to level accusations against selectors of taking sexual favours.

“He further made it appear as if this was a practice widely prevalent amongst cricket selectors and that the BCCI had not done anything in this regard. It was utterly wrong on the part of Mr. Gopal Sankarnarayanan to paint all selectors as depraved and despicable human beings in this manner and then to allege that BCCI did not take any action against its selectors,” the report said.

“I was at a loss for words to describe the anger and pain that I felt at this accusation made by the secretary to the Lodha Committee against our selectors, past and present, and the selectors of our state associations and against the BCCI office bearers,” the report said.

The BCCI Secretary then wrote that he told the Lodha committee members that the accusations were ‘preposterous’ and that nobody associated with the BCCI had never heard these thing before.

I also stated that making such statements about selectors appointed by the BCCI and its state associations was totally uncalled for on."

“I also stated that making such statements about selectors appointed by the BCCI and its state associations was totally uncalled for on the part of Mr. Gopal Shankarnarayanan specially when no such complaint was ever received by the BCCI and nor did Mr. Shankarnarayanan produce any such complaint,” he wrote.

According to the email accessed by the Indian Express, the justices then intervened to stop the discussion.

When Shrike was asked about the incident at the meeting, he said, “Our president couldn’t attend the last meeting as he was busy with the Parliament session and it was my duty to file a detailed report on what happened in the meeting.”

After the meeting on August 9, the BCCI field a review petition against the implementation of Lodha committee reforms in the Supreme Court.