CAB stresses legal framework in complaint handling
Kolkata, June 17
The office-bearers of Cricket Association of Bengal have written a letter to Indranil Khan, Minister of State, Department of Youth Services & Sports, reaffirming the association's systemic integrity, robust grievance redressal mechanism, and judicial checks and balances.
In the "formal communication" put forth in response to an open letter posted on his Facebook page by former CAB president Avishek Dalmiya, raising "generalised apprehensions" over alleged corruption, systemic rot, and selection integrity in the organisation.
The incumbant managing committee led by former India captain Sourav Ganguly, made its position clear on these allegations by asserting that there are processes in place in The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) to ensure comjpliance to ethical and moral mandate as per the Constitution of the BCCI are enforced via the good office of an Ombudsman, who is, as per the norm, is a retired Chief Justice of a High Court, and an Ethics Officer.
"This is precisely the framework governing the CAB, where, for the last two years, the Hon'ble Justice Jyotirmay Bhattacharya, former Chief Justice of the High Court of Calcutta, has been officiating as the Hon'ble Ombudsman, and is presently also officiating as the Hon'ble Ethics Officer," the letter said.
In the letter, the CAB officer-bearers took pride in stating that all complaints brought in front of the forum are treated with the highest degree of legal sanctity, impartiality, and transparency, entirely free from the interference of current office-bearers.
The letter went on to say that this system has been in place since 2019 and also listed the eminent personalities who have led the CAB in the past 30 years.
In the communication, the office-bearers also invited the Bengal Sports Minister to visit the CAB and interact with its 140 members to ascertain facts.
"Given that a retired Chief Justice of the High Court heads this apex integrity mechanism within our constitution, bypassing this established judicial forum via open public letters appears to be an attempt to publicise sports governance issues rather than addressing genuine concerns through proper legal channels," the letter alleged.
It also urged the State Sports Ministry to "critically examine why the sender bypassed a robust internal forum to drive a public narrative".
"The current administration of the CAB remains entirely focused on the meritocracy of clean governance and major infrastructure projects for the state. We assure the Government of West Bengal that any specific evidence-backed complaint submitted to the Hon'ble Ombudsman will be dealt with under the strict rule of law," the CAB office-bearers asserted in their letter.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Finally, an Indian sports body showing some transparency! Having a retired High Court Chief Justice as Ombudsman gives confidence. But let's see if they actually follow through with investigations when complaints come. Mere letters won't do, action is needed. 😤
Interesting how Indian cricket bodies handle complaints. In Australia, Cricket Australia has a similar system but it's often bypassed by players going to media. Good to see CAB sticking to their guns about using proper channels rather than social media dramas. Fair play to them.
I support due process but the CAB letter sounds a bit defensive. If Avishek Dalmiya is raising genuine concerns about selection integrity, why not address them openly? The Ombudsman system is fine on paper but in India, we know how these things often drag. Let's hope Sourav Ganguly's leadership ensures actual accountability. 👀
As a cricket lover from Kolkata, I'm tired of these PR battles. Both sides should focus on developing grassroots cricket in Bengal rather than fighting in media. CAB should just investigate the allegations, and if they're baseless, clear their name. Simple na? 🏏
Respect to CAB for having a judicial framework but the letter's tone suggests they're more interested in defending themselves than addressing the core issues. The real test will be how they handle any concrete evidence of corruption. Actions speak louder than polished letters. 🤔
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