CoA issues show-cause notice to Amitabh Choudhary for skipping ICC meet

The Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) on Sunday issued a show-cause notice to the Acting Secretary of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Amitabh Choudhary over his unavailability in the International Cricket Council's (ICC) conference, which was held in July.

"The ICC Conference was scheduled from July 14 to 20, 2019. The CoA came to learn of your unavailability to attend the ICC Conference scheduled in London for July 14, on July 12 when you merely forwarded your e-mail dated July 12 to ICC, informing the ICC of your unavailability for the said meetings. The short notice did not leave any room with the CoA to appoint a replacement to attend the said meetings in London. Consequently, the BCCI was unrepresented in the board meeting of the ICC," the CoA letter to BCCI stated.

Choudhary is also the BCCI representative to the ICC and to the Asian Cricket Council (ACC).

"Notwithstanding the aforesaid and the attitude displayed by you towards the CoA during our meetings, the CoA, in deference to the direction of the Supreme Court, has continued to have you represent the BCCI in ICC meetings. It has now come to the notice of the CoA that in the last meetings of the ICC and the ACC, not only did you not attend the meetings but kept the BCCI in dark about your unavailability either until it was too late or altogether," the letter stated.

The CoA has mentioned in their letter that Choudhury missed the ACC's Annual General Meeting, which was scheduled on September 3.

"Later, the CoA had approved his travel to Bangkok to attend the ACC AGM on September 3, 2019. Again at the eleventh hour, you failed to attend the ACC meeting, leaving the interests of the BCCI unattended. You did not even deem it necessary to inform the CoA of your unavailability to attend the said meeting," the letter stated.

"The CoA learnt of his unavailability and that too without knowing the reason for the absence, from the Secretary of the ACC as you had mailed to him of your unavailability to attend. Thus, the BCCI learnt from the ACC that its own representative was not attending the meeting on the morning of the meeting. This was most humiliating for the CoA and the organisation. Besides the fact that in both the meetings the BCCI went unrepresented, its interests have been seriously compromised by your action," the letter added.

Choudhary has been asked to explain within seven days from today why action should not be taken against him.

Earlier, on September 6 CoA extended the deadline for completing BCCI state association elections to September 28.

The CoA also announced that the date for BCCI polls will not change and it will take place on October 22 this year.

The Supreme Court in its judgment dated August 9, 2018, directed the state associations to undertake registration of their constitution on similar lines within 30 days thereafter.

The judgment also requires each state association to furnish a compliance certificate to the CoA so that CoA can file a status report before the Supreme Court with reference to the compliance undertaken by the state associations.

BCCI Constitution was registered on August 21, 2018. The state associations were bound to carry out amendments to their respective constitutions and undertake registration of the same on similar lines to that of the BCCI within 30 days from August 21, 2018, and submit a compliance certificate to the CoA.

The Supreme Court on January 30, 2017, had nominated a four-member panel CoA to look after the administration of the BCCI in order to implement Lodha Committee reforms. The CoA is chaired by Vinod Rai.