Sanjeev Gupta questions Virat Kohli's business ventures, writes to BCCI Ethics Officer

Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli has become embroiled in a controversy regarding breaching the 'Conflict of Interest' clause under BCCI rule 38(4) through a complaint filed by Sanjeev Gupta with the Ethics Officer D K Jain.

The Lodha Committee, while reworking the Constitution of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), had clearly mentioned that conflict of interest is an area that needs to be fought hard for better administration of the game.

Sanjeev Gupta, who is a part of the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association, is well versed with the BCCI Constitution and has raised conflict-of-interest issues against cricketing stalwarts such as Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly in the past.

IANS has accessed a mail in which Gupta has spoken about Virat Kohli's business ventures and said that it comes across that it is in violation of the Lodha Panel recommendations that were approved by the Supreme Court while the new BCCI Constitution was registered.

The complaint letter alleges: ‘Virat Kohli holds two posts: one as player and captain of the Indian team and other as a Director of Sports marketing company which contracts fellow Indian cricketers’.

It further alleges: 'Kohli is the Director in Virat Kohli Sports LLP and Cornerstone Ventures Partners LLP and his fellow directors in these companies are the directors of Cornerstone Sport and Entertainment Private Limited which manages Indian captain’s commercial interests and also signs other cricketers.'

Virat Kohli controversy: BCCI Official calls it a 'motivated attack'

Speaking to IANS about the complaints over the last couple of years, a BCCI executive said that the pattern is clearly visible. They added that this is a clear effort to create nuisance and blackmail those who have served the nation with aplomb.

"One look at the complaint email and you know it is motivated. Someone is clearly trying to attack the office bearers of the BCCI and now the captain of Indian team for some hidden reason. With what has happened over the last 6 years, this pattern is clearly visible." he said.

The official also pointed out several factors which lead them to believe that this is a motivated attack just to gain publicity.

"I mean just see at the number of addressees on the email and the language, the intention is clearly to scream off the rooftops to malign people who are successful. There's clearly some motivation. For these kinds of complaints the concept of locus standi should be a necessity. Otherwise there will be no end to nuisance and blackmail," the executive pointed.

Attempt to derail BCCI: Former Indian Player

Commenting on turn of events, a former India player said that these are things that help miscreants who wish to fix games get into the picture.

"Can you really rule out the involvement of the betting syndicate in all this? More the confusion, better the scenario for the unwanted elements. It is an attempt to derail BCCI both on and off the field," the cricketer said.

The unnamed cricketer also rubbished this claim against Virat Kohli and accused the complainant of wanting to gain publicity through this move.

"Our cricketers have a shelf life and they have to earn what they can during that period. Such kind of malicious complaints will start playing on their minds and performances will suffer. Such people are only interested in publicity with no care for the impact such insinuations can have on the players and their families. These complications are not good for the game and only give rise to babudom," he rued.

Gupta, in his complaint to the Ethics Officer, has mentioned the Indian captain's involvement with VIRAT KOHLI SPORTS LLP company which has two Directors/Owners namely Virat Kohli & Amit Arun Sajdeh. And CORNERSTONE VENTURE PARTNERS LLP which has three Directors/Owners namely Virat Kohli, Amit Arun Sajdeh and Binoy Bharat Khimji.