CoA sets up three-member panel to look into allegations against BCCI CEO Rahul Johri

The Committee of Administrators, created by the Supreme Court to look after the functioning of the BCCI, has set-up a three member committee to look into the allegations leveled against BCCI CEO Rahul Johri by a woman earlier this month.

Former Allahabad High Court judge Justice Rakesh Sharma, who has been named chairman, former Delhi Commission for Women chairperson Barkha Singh and former CBI Director P C Sharma have been chosen to look into the charges against Johri. The panel has been given 15 days to file their report, during which, Johri will remain on leave. 

"The independent committee could take into account and/or probe all allegations of sexual harassment against Johri while he was employed with the BCCI," the Indian cricket board's statement read.

This comes in the wake of the pressure being put by state cricket associations on both CoA and BCCI. As many as seven state cricket board’s came out in open and demanded the the CoA and BCCI to take action against Johri in wake of the allegations against him.

Goa, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Saurashtra and Madhya Pradesh Cricket Associations wrote to CoA’s chairman Vinod Rai to suspend Johri from his position, pending investigation. He was barred by the CoA from attending the ICC meet, and was given one week to respond to the charges leveled against him. But since then, neither Johri, BCCI or CoA have acted upon the accusations, which has prompted state associations to speak up.

"We are writing this because we are distressed at the developments in the BCCI and because of the fact that very serious allegations of rape or those of an act as heinous if not more, have emerged against the Chief Executive Officer of the BCCI. The CoA had been prompt to seek an explanation from him and had granted him a period of one week to respond. It has subsequently been reported in the media that the CEO has replied to the show cause notice issued to him. However, there has been no confirmation of the same by the CoA or the office bearers. We would like to know about the role of the office bearers in this process since we are not aware of the same," the seven state board's joint statement read.

Earlier this month, an anonymous woman accused Johri of taking advantage of her when they met over coffee to discuss some job prospects with her. While the woman kept her identity secret, she stated that ‘Johri took her to his place when his wife and child was not home and forcibly assaulted her'.

READ: CoA Pulls Out BCCI CEO Rahul Johri From ICC Meeting

"I was shaking throughout after, not capable of even understanding what had just happened. How did I make it happen, I asked myself repeatedly! He kept shaking his head, smiling and telling me- you're good!", her post on Twitter read.