BCCI ombudsman gives clean chit to national selector Vikram Rathour

Gunde had responded saying that a ‘selector’s position demands that it be filled by a person who has only national interest at heart’, and the ‘conflict is apparent’

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) ombudsman, Justice AP shah, has cleared the national selector and former Indian cricketer, Vikram Rathour, against a conflict of interest allegation. A freelance journalist Neeraj Gunde had pointed out in an email that Rathour’s UK citizenship is a conflict of interest with his job of selecting players for the Indian cricket team. But Justice Shah has seen no issue in this case, saying he found ‘no rule pertaining to conflict of interest’ being applicable in this case. The BCCI ombudsman had recently given a clean chit to the Indian cricket team media manager Nishant Arora.

According to the Indian Express, Justice Shah wrote in an email, “Mr Rathour, in his response, admits to being an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI). He also points out that there is no bar under law, being an OCI card-holder, from working with or for any organisation other than the government of India. He also draws attention to there being nothing in BCCI’s constitution that requires a person to be an Indian passport holder to work as a selector for a BCCI team.” ALSO READ: BCCI Ombudsman AP Shah dismisses ‘Conflict of Interest’ case against media manager Nishant Arora

Gunde had responded saying that a ‘selector’s position demands that it be filled by a person who has only national interest at heart’, and the ‘conflict is apparent’. But Justice Shah replied saying that there are no specific rules in place that talk about an Indian selector’s nationality.

He wrote, “The Ombudsman does not agree with the applicant’s contentions. There is no bar, in law or in the memorandum of association of the BCCI, to Mr Rathour’s association with the BCCI as a selector, by virtue of his holding an OCI card. The Ombudsman also does not accept the argument that conflict of interest is apparent in such a case. In sum, no rule pertaining to conflict of interest is attracted, nor is any case of conflict of interest demonstrated. The application is therefore disposed of.”

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