Rahul Dravid Deposes Before Ethics Officer, CoA Note Defends Him

Updated - 19 Oct 2019, 07:34 PM

Rahul Dravid. (Photo by Ashley Allen/Getty Images)

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Recently, we came across BCCI’s Ethics officer DK Jain claiming conflict of interest issue on Rahul Dravid for holding a role under the Board of Control for Cricket in India and also being the part of Indian Cements. However, the former skipper Rahul Dravid deposed it before the officer.

The alleged conflict arises from Dravid being the current director of the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, while also being a Vice President in the India Cements group – the company that owns IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings.

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Dravid was previously coach of the India A and India U-19 teams, and his current role as Director of the NCA involves overseeing the development of these two teams, among other responsibilities. The allegations of conflict of interest were first laid down by Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) life-member Sanjeev Gupta.

However, Dravid has already responded to the allegations, saying that he has taken a leave of absence from India Cements, and is not involved with them in any way, shape or form at the current moment.

Rahul Dravid is not in conflict issue – CoA Note

Meanwhile, Vinod Rai of CoA gave an example of former RBI Governor Rajan, who took leave of absence from his teaching role at the University of Chicago. He also clarified that Rahul Dravid wasn’t receiving any mode of payment from the company.

“The CoA chief had written a note before the deposition that they feel if Dravid has taken a Leave of Absence, then he is not in conflict. He cited examples of former RBI Governor Rajan, who took leave of absence from his teaching role at the University of Chicago,” a senior BCCI official told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

Vinod Rai | CoA — Vinod Rai (Image Courtesy: Getty)

“The CoA note also cites Arvind Panagariya’s example. The former Vice-Chairman of the NITI Aayog was on lien from Columbia University. In both cases, the gentlemen in question held very sensitive government positions and were not taking any remuneration from their previous employers. The CoA feels that if Dravid has declared and is not taking remuneration from India Cements, he is not in conflict,” the official said.

Well, it would be interesting to see how things would turn out for Rahul Dravid in this issue. However, for now, he is looking after National Cricket Academy.