The Supreme Court on Thursday appointed former Justice DK Jain the first ombudsman of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, ESPN Cricinfo reported.
Justices SA Bobde and Abhay Manohar Sapre took up the matter in the presence of new Amicus Curiae PS Narasimha, according to Hindustan Times. The BCCI matter was last heard on January 17 with the court deferring the matter for February.
The newly registered constitution of the BCCI requires the appointment of an ombudsman at the Annual General Meeting for the purpose of providing an independent dispute resolution mechanism.
“We are happy that by consent of the parties and the suggestions, the name of retired Justice DK Jain has been agreed to be appointed as the Ombudsman in the BCCI,” the judges said. “We accordingly appoint Justice (retired) DK Jain as first Ombudsman in the BCCI.”
Jain, who was the former chairperson of National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, will look into allegations of misconduct against BCCI officials, according to India Today.
State cricket associations had called for a Special General Meeting to appoint the ombudsman, but the Committee of Administrators wanted the Supreme Court to appoint one directly.
The appointment of an ombudsman could bring a resolution to Hardik Pandya-KL Rahul case. The Committee of Administrators had lifted the provisional suspensions on Pandya and Rahul pending appointment and adjudication of the allegations by the BCCI Ombudsman. The two Indian cricketers were suspended for their sexist comments on the TV show Koffee with Karan.
