SC appoints PS Narasimha as amicus curiae to assist BCCI in Pandya, Rahul controversy

Following the withdrawal of senior advocate Gopal Subramanium as an amicus curiae, the Supreme Court on Thursday appointed senior advocate PS Narasimha to assist it in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) case vis-a-vis cricketers Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul's controversial remarks against women on a celebrity chat show.

The Committee of Administrators (CoA) had earlier mentioned before the Supreme Court about the sexist comments made by the cricketers and sought directions on the appointment of an ombudsman to deal with the issue.

On January 15, Pandya lost the honorary membership of Mumbai's Khar Gymkhana. According to its joint secretary Gaurav Kapadia, the decision to revoke Pandya's membership was taken during a meeting of Gym's managing committee. The all-rounder, along with right-hand batsman Rahul, has been suspended for an indefinite period for their misogynist comments on filmmaker Karan Johar's 'Koffee with Karan' show. The duo has been given seven days to offer an explanation about their alleged misconduct and indiscipline to the BCCI.

Pandya, who shared the couch with Rahul on the show, faced backlash for what netizens termed 'sexist' and 'disrespectful' remarks on women. On the show, he bragged about not asking the names of women at parties and how he watched them move on the dance floor.

The all-rounder on January 9 took to social media and apologised for the incident stating he "may have got a bit carried away with the nature of the show".