Amre in conflict of interest violation; Vengsarkar cleared

Justice (retired) AP Shah, the BCCI ombudsman, has ruled that Pravin Amre is in violation of the BCCI's internal conflict-of-interest rules by virtue of his role as assistant coach of the Delhi Daredevils while also being a managing committee member of the Mumbai Cricket Association.

Shah stated in his order that Amre couldn't continue holding both positions during the next edition of the IPL, and directed the BCCI to initiate "appropriate action against him in accordance with the guidelines".

The ombudsman, however, dismissed the complaint against former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar, which had suggested that he was in conflict by continuing to run his private coaching academy while serving as the director of National Cricket Academy.

Both the complaints were filed by Nadeem Memon, a former curator of the Wankhede Stadium and a former MCA managing committee member.

Shah noted that Amre should not have taken any position on the coaching staff of an IPL franchise while being an administrator. Amre had contended that his work with Daredevils didn't affect his honorary role as an "elected member of the MCA managing committee".

"At the risk of repetition," the ombudsman stated, "no administrator (managing committee member) can be on the pay roll of an IPL franchise. The BCCI is also directed to write to all the IPL franchises to clarify Rule 1(A) (B) of the rules on conflict of interest that the franchises cannot employ any administrator (as defined in the rules) as part of its support staff."

In Vengsarkar's case, Shah was of the view there wasn't any conflict as he was neither a coach nor a part of the selection process, and that his role in the NCA was honorary. Shah concurred with Vengsarkar's contention that his appointment as NCA director ought to be viewed vis-à-vis his stature as former India captain.

"It is an admitted fact that Mr Vengsarkar is not being paid any salary, and his appointment as director, NCA, is an honorary post (presumably in light of his distinguished cricketing past)," Shah wrote. "It is also an admitted fact that Mr Vengsarkar has been running cricket academies for 21 years."

The ombudsman also found Raghuram Bhat, the former India and Karnataka left-arm spinner, to be in conflict as he worked at the Brijesh Patel Cricket Academy and the IDBI Academy, while heading Karnataka's Under-14 and Under-16 selection committees.

Responding to an anonymous complainant, Shah directed the Karnataka State Cricket Association to ask Bhat, who is also a member of the association's managing committee, to disassociate himself from both academies.

"Rule 2(C) of the BCCI rules on conflict of interest clearly stipulates that 'cricketers appointed as coaches of Indian teams or national selectors shall not be associated with any private coaching academies during their tenure,'" he stated. "In the event that Mr Bhat decides to continue his association with either academy, or any other cricket academy, then he cannot continue in his position as a chairman/selector of the Under-16 team."