The ethics officer of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has upheld a conflict of interest complaint against Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) president Rupa Gurunath.
Rupa, daughter of former BCCI chief N. Srinivasan, became the first woman to head a State association when she took over as the TNCA chief in September 2019. Her position was challenged by Sanjeev Gupta, a former life member of the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association.
Justice (retd.) D.K. Jain, in his verdict issued on Thursday, has stated that Rupa “has at least indirect (if not direct) interest in CSKCL, which has entered into an agreement/contract with the BCCI, thus, attracting one of the forms of conflict of interest”.
Rupa is a whole-time director of India Cements Ltd. (ICL), while Chennai Super Kings Cricket Limited (CSKCL) owns the IPL franchise. As per the verdict, Rupa “… in her capacity as the whole time director and promoter of ICL, has close association with the Trustees of IC Shareholders Trust and the Directors of CSKCL.”
The ethics officer has directed the BCCI to follow its rulebook. If it is adhered to, the TNCA president will have to step down from her post.
