Following an allegation of sexual harassment, Board of Control for Cricket in India CEO Rahul Johri on Sunday was forced to pull out of an upcoming International Cricket Council meeting in Singapore after the Committee of Administrators turned down his request for more time to explain the charges.
BCCI acting secretary Amitabh Chaudhary will represent the cricket board at the meeting, scheduled in Singapore from October 16 to October 19, Committee of Administrators chief Vinod Rai told PTI.
“Rahul had sought 14 days for a detailed explanation as he said that he is working with his legal team and since he was to attend ICC Meeting from October 16-19 in Singapore,” Rai said. “But I clearly told Rahul that I cannot let this issue simmer for 14 days as the BCCI office will be affected by it. Since he wants to sit with his lawyers now, I allowed him exemption from ICC meeting.”
Chaudhary is already in Singapore.
In fact, the convention has been for BCCI secretaries to attend ICC meetings before the CEO post came into existence.
The allegation against Johri have been made by a woman who chose to remain anonymous and who claimed to be his colleague during his stint at the Discovery Channel.
The anonymous account was posted on Twitter by an author, Harnidh Kaur, who later stated that she did not want the charges published nor her name used in the context.
Johri, who has so far not reacted to the charge, worked in various positions with the Discovery channel from 2001 to 2016 before taking over as the BCCI CEO.
He became the first CEO of the cricket body after its administrative structure underwent a revamp owing to the Lodha Committee recommendations. A media veteran before joining the BCCI, Johri was associated with the Discovery channel’s South Asia operations for 15 years.
Since October 5, dozens of women have gone public with details of alleged sexual misconduct that they have faced, which has been dubbed India’s #MeToo movement. The allegations have shaken several industries including film, music and the media. Union minister MJ Akbar is among several men who have been accused of sexual harassment.
With inputs from Press Trust of India
