Noted historian Ramachandra Guha on Thursday resigned from Committee of Administrators (CoA) of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Guha moved the Supreme Court and said that he has resigned from the court-appointed panel. Guha wants Supreme Court to relieve him from the CoA. The court will hear the matter on July 14. Guha told the Supreme Court that he has tendered his resignation to Vinod Rai, the Chairman of the Committee of Administrators appointed by the top court. The historian has reportedly cited personal reasons for the resignation.
The CoA however cannot accept the resignation till the Supreme Court hears the matter on July 14.
A vacation bench of Justices M.M. Shantanagoudar and Deepak Gupta was informed by Guha’s counsel that he had tendered his resignation on May 28 to Rai.
The court said a special bench was seized of the matter and the petition should therefore be filed in the registry.
Advocate Rakesh Sinha, who mentioned the matter before the bench, said he had filed the petition to inform the court about Guha’s decision to resign as the main matter would be coming up for hearing in July.
Guha’s decision comes as a surprise for many and the timing of his resignation will certainly raise few eyebrows. It also coincides with the start of the Champions Trophy 2017 amid a reported rift between India coach Anil Kumble and skipper Virat Kohli.
Kumble and Kohli are also supposed to meet the CoA soon to discuss the vexed issue of player payments.
The Supreme Court had on January 30 appointed a four member-committee of administrators led by ex-CAG Vinod Rai to run the BCCI. Apart from Guha, IDFC CEO Vikram Limaye and former women’s cricket captain Diana Edulji were also named on the panel.