#MeToo in India: BCCI CEO Rahul Johri goes on leave to prepare response for sexual harassment allegations

The Board of Control for Cricket India (BCCI) CEO Rahul Johri, who is facing allegations of sexual harassment, has gone on a leave as he has been asked by the Committee of Administrators (CoA) to explain the accusations against him.

According to a report in ESPNcricinfo, Johri has taken the leave to prepare his response, while the CoA will take charge of the daily management of BCCI.

File image of BCCI CEO Rahul Johri. Image courtesy: BCCI via Twitter

The report also added that Johri's explanation will be judged by the CoA and BCCI's legal team. The Complaints Committee, which was formed this April under the Sexual Harassment against Women at Workplace Act 2013, could also be included.

Earlier, Johri was forced to pull out of an upcoming ICC Meeting in Singapore as CoA decided to send BCCI acting secretary Amitabh Chaudhary for the meeting.

CoA chief Vinod Rai said the decision was taken as Johri requested for more time to explain the harassment charges.

"Rahul had sought 14 days for a detailed explanation as he said that he is working with his legal team and since he was to attend ICC Meeting from 16-19 October in Singapore," Rai said.

"But I clearly told Rahul that I cannot let this issue simmer for 14 days as the BCCI office will be affected by it. Since he wants to sit with his lawyers now, I allowed him exemption from ICC Meeting," he added.

The allegations against Johri have been made by an unnamed person, who claimed to be his colleague during his stint at the Discovery Channel.

The anonymous account was posted on Twitter by an author, Harnidh Kaur, who later stated that she did not want the charges published nor her name used in the context.

Johri, who has so far not reacted to the charge, worked in various positions with the Discovery channel from 2001 to 2016 before taking over as the BCCI CEO.

Believed to be in his late 40s, he became the first CEO of the cricket body after its administrative structure underwent a revamp owing to the Lodha Committee recommendations. A media veteran before joining the BCCI, Johri was associated with the Discovery channel's South Asia operations for 15 years.

With inputs from PTI