I don't stand disqualified: Former BCCI joint secy on Lodha panel reforms

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], Jan. 7 (ANI): Former joint secretary of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Amitabh Chaudhary has refused to accept the Supreme Court's January 2 and 3 order disqualifying him from holding the post after it sacked Anurag Thakur and Ajay Shirke for refusing to comply with the Justice Lodha panel reforms. "In my view the verdict of Supreme Court dated January 2 is paramount. As part of that verdict, it's clear that in the absence of Secretary, Joint Secretary will function. Besides that, the order also says that the scope of Lodha panel is confined to the matters of policy and the matters which the apex court will refer. Therefore my view is that I don't stand disqualified," Chaudhary told ANI. The meeting to select India's squads for the ODI and T20 series against England beginning on January 15 was delayed yesterday because of a confusion pertaining over protocol in the wake of the Supreme Court order, which left the BCCI without most of its office-bearers. The procedure that was followed until now was that the BCCI secretary convenes the selection meeting; the confusion arose with Ajay Shirke, being removed from his post. The confusion started when Chaudhary asked CEO Rahul Johri as to why he was not informed about the meeting to pick the team for the limited-over as the BCCI constitution states that only he can convene the meeting. However, Gopal Shankarnarayan, Lodha Committee's Secretary, in a clearly worded e-mail informed Johri that Chaudhary "stands disqualified" in the wake of the order and cannot convene the selection meeting. In the email sent by Shankarnarayan to Johri, it clarified that Chaudhary has been disqualified and no longer holds the post of joint secretary of the BCCI. (ANI)