It was Edulji's insistence to seek the legal opinion that resulted in the suspension pending inquiry for the two players, both of whom are slated to return to India from Australia early on Sunday.
Vinod Rai proposes, Diana Edulji disposes.
That's a common sight in Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) these days, as two Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (COA) have been at loggerheads ever since the former India captain charged Rai of scuttling the probe against CEO Rahul Johri who was embroiled in allegations of sexual assault.
Now, when Rai is pressing for a "quick inquiry" into the Hardik Pandya-KL Rahul controversy – where the duo attracted widespread criticism for its misogynistic comments on television show 'Koffee with Karan' -- Edulji fears another "cover up" if any haste is shown in the probe being conducted by Johri.
Edulji has shot off another email to Rai and three BCCI office-bearers, expressing her reservation at CEO Johri's presence in the preliminary probe, instead proposing that the inquiry be done by COA and the Board office-bearers.
Rai had asked for the inquiry to be finished by the second Australia-India ODI on Tuesday, saying that the delay in completing the procedure would affect the team's strength.
"We should be in no hurry to conduct the inquiry as it would then look like a cover up job being done," Edulji said in response to Rai's wish for a speedy outcome.
While the BCCI legal team had advised the appointment of an ad-hoc ombudsman, Rai wants the view of amicus. However, Diana wants COA and office-bearers to be part of the inquiry as the Board CEO's presence will be perceived as "bad optics".
It was Edulji's insistence to seek the legal opinion that resulted in the suspension pending inquiry for the two players, both of whom are slated to return to India from Australia early on Sunday. Rai had suggested a mere two-match ban as penalty for their comments.
Unofficial AGM
Meanwhile, the BCCI old guard, led by former president N Srinivasan, had an unofficial gathering in Mumbai on Friday.
As many as 17 state unit representatives marked their physical presence, while five others joined through telephone, where all members "expressed shock at the manner in which decision-making was taking place in the COA".
Prominent among them were son of ruling BJP president Amit Shah, Jay Shah from Gujarat, along with former BCCI president Anurag Thakur from Himachal Pradesh. Former India skipper Sourav Ganguly joined via phone.
"The decisions and views of one member (read Edulji) were being ignored and the decisions of the other (read Rai) were being executed irregularly despite there being a deadlock in decision-making on such decisions," was the unanimous opinion of all members. All of them were equally concerned about the resources of the BCCI being wrongfully expended on such irregular decisions.
Those also present included former BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke, who came all the way from London to attend the meeting, Saurashtra cricket's veteran Niranjan Shah and Haryana strongman Anirudh Chaudhary also came down to Mumbai.
Pandya loses brand
In another setback for India's suspended all-rounder Hardik Pandya, multinational company Gillette has suspended its brand association with him. The Boston-based signed Pandya in October last year. "Hardik Pandya's recent comments do not reflect the values of Gillette. We have suspended our association with Hardik until we decide on further course of action," Gillette India spokesperson said. Pandya currently endorses seven big brands.
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