Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul are facing further punishments after their misogynistic comments on Koffee with Karan (Hardik Pandya Twitter)
HIGHLIGHTS
- Diana Edulji has written to the BCCI asking the board to call back Hardik and Rahul
- Edulji has also asked the BCCI to set up an inquiry committee for this controversy
- Earlier on Friday, captain Virat Kohli had slammed Pandya and Rahul for their sexist comments on Koffee with Karan
Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul are set to miss the three-match one-day series against Australia for their sexist comments on Koffee with Karan.
The Committee of Administrators (CoA) has recommended the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to set up an inquiry committee which will look into this controversy.
Diana Edulji, who is a member of the Supreme Court appointed CoA, has also suggested that the players should be called back immediately from the tour of Australia, where India is scheduled to play a three-match ODI series, starting Saturday.
The BCCI had sought legal opinion on the sanctions that can be imposed on the two players for their misogynist remarks on Karan Johar's talk show.
Here are the details of the email trail between BCCI, COA and the legal team:
(a) Issued a show cause with point by point breaches.
(b) An inquiry committee to be set up with a time-bound frame (15 days).
(c) KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya to be provisionally suspended and to miss the India Australia ODI series.
(d) Punishment to be decided in line with BCCI Constitution and Players Contracts.
(e) The team management is to be apprised of the decision. The players may then be called back.
Following the legal opinion, Diana has suggested a immediate suspension, which has been endorsed by BCCI acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary.
"It is imperative that players be put under suspension till further course of action is decided for this misconduct as was done in case of (BCCI) CEO (Rahul Johri) when he was sent on leave on sexual harassment matter," read Edulji's response to the legal opinion which is in possession of PTI.
"Based on legal opinion and the final procedure is laid down to address this issue, will recommend that communication is sent to concerned players and team immediately," Edulji wrote in response to recommendations from the Board's legal firm Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas.
The legal firm made it clear that the cringe-worthy comments made by Pandya do not fall under the Code of Conduct ambit.
The copy of the legal opinion, in possession of PTI, states: "We feel that present matter doesn't fall under the ambit of Code of Conduct and procedure of Code of Conduct can't be invoked in present circumstances."
The firm said the behaviour in question was neither a criticism of any match or against a player or support staff or match official.
"In any case the procedure set by the BCCI constitution will have primacy over procedure set out under Code of Conduct," it said.
India captain Virat Kohli also reacted to the controversy on Friday and slammed Pandya and Rahul for their sexist and misogynistic comments.
"We as the Indian cricket team and responsible cricketers don't align with those views, those were individual opinions. We are still waiting for a decision to be made," Kohli said at a press conference ahead of the first ODI against Australia in Sydney.
Rahul meanwhile, was spotted practicing with the Indian cricketers ahead of the first ODI against Australia on Friday.
Rahul was seen along with MS Dhoni, Kuldeep Yadav, Shikhar Dhawan, Ravindra Jadeja and Khaleel Ahmed as the Team India members toiled hard at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Even though Rahul was seen at the ground, whether he and Pandya are named in the final squad for the first ODI or not remains a mystery as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is mulling a two-match ban on the duo on the suggestion of COA chief Vinod Rai.
On the show, Pandya had boasted about his dates and hookups with multiple women and also narrated how he informed his parents about losing his virginity.
"When I lost my virginity, I came home and said, 'Mein karke aaya hai aaj (I had sex today)'." Pandya had said on the show.
"At a party, my parents asked me acha tera wala [your women] kaun sa hai, so I said yeh, yeh, yeh [pointing out to some women] and they were like 'waah proud of u beta'," he added.
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