Diana Edulji refused to accept the prestigious CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award bestowed on her by a three-member BCCI panel, citing her work as a member of the Committee of Administrator as a major factor in her decision.
Edulji was reported as saying in a statement by ESPNCricinfo said, “I have learnt that the BCCI awards committee has conferred the award on me. Neither me, nor any other member of the Hon’ble Supreme Court appointed Committee of Administrators were part of this awards committee.
“However, since I am a member of the Hon’ble Supreme Court appointed committee of administrators of the BCCI, I do not think it is appropriate for me to accept this honour at this juncture. I have discussed my decision with my family, friends and well wishers who wholeheartedly support my decision not to accept the award during my tenure as a member of the CoA. In fact, I had made my decision very clear last year as well when my name was suggested for this honour.
“Nevertheless, I would like to thank the members of the BCCI awards committee for considering me worthy of this prestigious honour.”
A three-member BCCI panel had recommended former India women’s team captain and current CoA member, Diana Edulji, for the prestigious CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award.
Former India opener Pankaj Roy will be awarded posthumously. Edulji had played 20 Tests and 34 ODIs in a career spanning over 17 years, taking 63 and 46 wickets respectively.
She played at a time when the game was run by Women’s Cricket Association of India (WCAI) which was mostly cash strapped and couldn’t arrange for international matches.
The three-member panel that send the recommendations comprised eminent journalist N Ram, acting president CK Khanna and acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary.
CoA chief Vinod Rai was asked if this is a case of Conflict of Interest. “The committee is headed by Mr N Ram. I didn’t even know the recommendations. It doesn’t come to us at at all,” said Rai.
When the acting secretary was contacted, he refused to divulge the names.
“I will never divulge the names recommended by our panel,” Choudhary told PTI.
“However if you want to know my take on Conflict of Interest, I can tell you what I think. If the committee is not influenced by any outsiders when it takes a decision, I don’t think there’s any Conflict of Interest,” Choudhary added.
While last year when Shantha Rangaswamy got the award, Edulji and COA members were party to the decision unlike this time. In fact, Edulji was part of the panel that recommended the names alongside Ramachandra Guha and N Ram.
Pankaj Roy’s son Pronab, himself a former Test player, was ecstatic to hear the news.
“Dad would have got emotional had he been around. We as a family always felt that my father always got his recognition late. But better late than never. My mother will be overjoyed to hear this news,” he said.
Roy played 43 Tests scoring 2442 runs with five hundreds. He will always be remembered for his world record opening stand of 413 runs with Vinoo Mankad against New Zealand in Chennai (Madras) in 1956. The record stood for 52 years.
(With inputs from PTI)