Rahul Johri gets clean chit from panel

New Delhi: The sexual harassment allegations against BCCI CEO Rahul Johri were rejected as “mischievous and fabricated” by a three-member probe panel on Wednesday but the Committee of Administrators was divided on him resuming office with Diana Edulji reiterating her demand for his resignation.

Johri was on forced leave for the past three weeks but can now resume office even though one member of the probe committee recommended “gender sensitivity counselling” for him. The two-member CoA was divided on the issue.

While chairman Vinod Rai approved of Johri joining back, Edulji demanded his resignation on the basis of some recommendations. The three-member probe panel comprised Justice (Retd) Rakesh Sharma, former Delhi Commission of Women chairperson Barkha Singh and lawyer-activist Veena Gowda, who recommended counselling for Johri.

“The complainants have failed to provide their cases as set up by them...The allegations of sexual harassment in the office or elsewhere are false, baseless and have been fabricated and manufactured with an ulterior motive to harm Mr. Rahul Johri and throw him out of BCCI..,” head of the probe committee Justice Sharma stated in his findings. “No adverse action need to be taken against Mr. Rahul Johri, CEO, BCCI, on the basis of these mischievous, false, fabricated, unsubstantiated complaints, e-mails, tweets etc on social media,” he added.

Gowda concluded that Johri’s behaviour was “unprofessional and inappropriate” on one ocassion but “she has not found him guilty of sexual harassment”. “In view of his conduct at Birmingham as well as keeping in mind the allegations made by Ms. X and his conduct before this Committee with respect to the photographs submitted, it is essential that Mr. Johri undergo some form of gender sensitivity counselling/training,” Gowda observed.