BCCI Ombudsman Justice D.K.Jain to serve as ad-hoc Ethics Officer

Supreme Court-appointed BCCI Ombudsman Justice D K Jain (retd) will now serve as the Ethics Officer of the Indian cricket board on an ad-hoc basis, the Committee of Administrator (CoA) said on Thursday.

According to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), provisions in its constitution require an Ethics Officer to be appointed to determine and decide issues related to conflict of interest.

"The Ld. Ombudsman of the BCCI, the Hon'ble Justice D.K. Jain (retd.), shall discharge the functions of the BCCI Ethics Officer, in addition to his role as the BCCI Ombudsman, as an ad hoc arrangement till such time that an Ethics Officer is appointed," the CoA said, as per the BCCI website.

The CoA had sent an email to Justice Jain, a former apex court judge, on March 12 this year, requesting him "to consider if he would be willing to assume the role and discharge the functions of the BCCI Ethics Officer, in addition to his role as the BCCI Ombudsman, as a pro tem measure till such time that an Ethics Officer is appointed".

In response to the mail, Justice Jain had written a letter to the CoA on March 21 expressing his willingness to discharge the functions of the BCCI Ethics Officer as an ad hoc arrangement in addition to his duties as the Ombudsman of the cricket board.

The CoA had earlier stated that the "ethics manager shall be a retired Judge of a High Court so appointed by the BCCI after obtaining his/her consent and on terms as determined by the BCCI in keeping with the dignity and stature of the office. The term of an Ethics Officer shall be one year, subject to a maximum of 3 terms in office".

In the tenth status report dated October 28, 2018 submitted by the CoA to the Supreme Court, a prayer was made seeking appropriate directions appointing and/or enabling the appointment of an Ethics Officer for the BCCI. No order has yet been passed by the apex court in the matter.

Justice Jain, who was appointed the first Ombudsman of the cricket board on February 21 this year by the apex court, is already looking into the Hardik Pandya-KL Rahul chat show controversy following which the two players were handed a provisional suspension. The suspension was later lifted.