"Independent panel probing Johri must declare no conflict of interest"

The independent panel probing the sexual harassment charge against BCCI CEO Rahul Johri must declare absence of any conflict of interest in its first meeting the Committee of Administrators said Tuesday after a member had to be replaced owing to this reasonLaying down the terms of reference for the threemember panel the COA said the probe committee will be free to investigate all charges against Johri and would be open to hearing any person who is desirous of placing any fact in the matterJohri was accused of sexual harassment in an anonymous social media post which has since been deleted He has denied the allegation in response to the showcause notice issued by the COA The probe panel originally comprised Former Allahabad High Court judge Justice Rakesh Sharma former Delhi Commission for Women Chairperson Barkha Singh andFormer CBI Director P C SharmaHowever Sharma was replaced by advocate Veena Gowda after it came to light that one of his relatives was a BCCI employee The first meeting of the committee will be held in Mumbai but the date has not yet been specifiedIn its first meeting each member of the Committee shall make a declarationof absence of conflict of interest in conducting an independent and fair enquiry againstMr Rahul Johri stated the committees terms of reference posted on the BCCI website The COA said all its communication with Johri will be provided to the independent committee The three members of the committee would be paid Rs 15 lakh per meeting and the Boards former internal complaints committee head Karina Kriplani will be its contact person for any assistance required from the BCCIKriplani has resigned from her position in the internal complaints committee but continues to be a legal advisorThe COA said that a public notice would be issued soon inviting informationThe BCCI and all its office bearersemployeesconsultants shall provide all assistance and cooperation to the Committee as it may require the COA statedApart from the anonymous social media charge former Mumbai captain Shishir Hattangadi also claims to have information on Johris alleged misconduct in the pastCatch up on all the latest sports news and updates here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updatesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Except for the change in headline the story has been provided ASIS AS AVAILABLE without any verification or editing from our side Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever