CoA seeks urgent appointment of ombudsman to decide on Pandya and Rahul

The Supreme Court Thursday took note of a plea of the Committee of Administrators (CoA) seeking urgent appointment of an ombudsman in the BCCI to decide on the fate of Team India members Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul, who have been suspended pending inquiry over their "insensitive" remarks against women. A bench comprising justices S A Bobde and A M Sapre said it will hear the matter after a week when senior advocate P S Narsimha takes over charge as amicus curiae in the matter.

The top court appointed Narsimha as amicus after senior advocate Gopal Subramanium withdrew his consent from being an amicus curiae in the matter. Senior advocate Parag Tripathi, appearing for the CoA, said that the court should direct appointment of ombudsman in the BCCI urgently as the fate of two young promising cricketers needs to be decided immediately. The controversy was triggered by Pandya and Rahul's much-condemned statements on 'Koffee with Karan' in which they spoke about hookups with multiple women and being casual about it even with their parents. The comments have been described as "inappropriate" by India skipper Virat Kohli.