Lodha Panel Refutes BCCI Sec Ajay Shirke’s Claims

According Ajay Shirke, Lodha panel secretary accused the selectors of asking sexual favours from parents.

BCCI president Anurag Thakur along with BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke during a press conference. (Photo: PTI)

Lodha Panel refuted Ajay Shirke’s claims on Wednesday evening that Lodha committee secretary Gopal Sankaranarayanan supposedly made accusations of selectors asking sexual favours during their meeting on 9 August.

Shirke sent a report on mail to president Anurag Thakur in which he claims that Sankaranarayanan had accused the BCCI of being a “mute spectator” to “corrupt practices” to the extent that, “mothers of young aspiring cricket players were forced to sleep with the selectors in order to get their wards selected in the team.”

A mail sent by Ajay Shirke has been accessed by The Indian Express.

The mail consisted of a 14-point report, in which Shirke wrote that the meeting, which Thakur couldn’t attend, was conducted in a cordial manner, and he had informed the committee about the board filing a review petition.

Also Read: Lodha Panel Instructs BCCI To Implement 15 Reforms By October 15

When the meeting was about to conclude, 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 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.

Ajay Shirke, in his report.

Sankaranarayanan, according to the BCCI secretary, accused the selectors of asking sexual favours from parents.

“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 Shankarnarayanan 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 reads.

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.

Ajay Shirke, in his report.

Shirke then claims to have told the Lodha committee members that the accusations were ‘preposterous’ and that nobody associated with the BCCI had ever heard of any such incidents.

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.

Ajay Shirke, in his report.

According to the report, at that point, the “honourable Justices” intervened and put an end to the discussion.

That wasn’t the only time that Shirke claimed the Lodha committee members had to ‘intervene’ and ‘overrule’ Sankarnarayanan during the meeting.

He reported that when he asked the committee if he should attach the report submitted by Justice Markandey Katju — who the BCCI had appointed to head a four-member legal panel in an advisory capacity — along with the letter seeking president Thakur’s absence at the meeting, Sankaranayanan stated that “there was no need”.

Shirke also revealed that the committee had asked the BCCI to submit a progress report by 23-24 August about the implementation of the Supreme Court order — which was passed on 18 July asking the board to implement a majority of the Lodha recommendations.

When contacted, Shirke told The Indian Express, “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.”

Sankaranarayanan did not comment on the topic.

Also Read: Court, Committees, Reforms & Cricket: DeQoding Lodha Panel Report

(Source: The Indian Express)