Just three months before its annual general meeting, the top brass of the state cricket organization released a strongly worded rebuttal to accusations of corruption and governance shortcomings, bringing to light the long-simmering tension between the current Sourav Ganguly-led establishment and former Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president Avishek Dalmiya.
Four days after Avishek had requested that a state-run Sports Integrity and Anti-Corruption Helpline look into the allegations of malpractice, the CAB rejected what it called “generalised apprehensions” about corruption, lack of transparency, and “systemic rot” in a three-page letter to West Bengal Sports Minister Dr. Indranil Khan.
The CAB letter, which was signed by Ganguly, secretary Bablu Kolay, and other office-bearers, questioned Avishek’s choice to go public rather than use the institutional channels already in place and defended the association’s governance system.
Ganguly’s administrative and cricketing qualifications were also emphasized in the letter, which stated that despite holding positions as chairman of the ICC Cricket Committee, president of the CAB, president of the BCCI, and captain of India, he “has never faced a single line of allegation against his integrity.”
Despite being well aware of this procedure during his own time as president and secretary, CAB claimed that Avishek had “bypassed” it. The conversation is significant because it takes place before the September AGM, when Bengal cricket alignments are once again being questioned.
It was widely anticipated that Avishek would challenge the Ganguly camp at last year’s AGM, but he abruptly withdrew, allowing Snehasish Ganguly to be elected without opposition when the opposing groups reconciled.
In response to Avishek’s concerns, CAB stated that accusations of corruption and poor governance did not accurately represent the association. According to the letter, concerns about “corruption, systemic rot, selection integrity” and lack of openness do not fairly represent how the Cricket Association of Bengal operates.
According to the organization, “no such allegations of systemic rot had ever been cast upon this institution” during the previous thirty years under administrators such as B N Dutt, Jagmohan Dalmiya, Sourav Ganguly, and Avishek Dalmiya.
“It is therefore surprising that the recent communication appears to portray that, except during his own tenure, discrepancies have existed across other administrations,” the letter stated.
“To suggest that everything was functioning correctly only during one specific tenure and flawed during all others is untenable.”
The association went a step further, saying: “To generalise wrongdoing or cast sweeping assumptions over the majority of them is a complete misrepresentation of facts and deeply disregards their earnest efforts and intent. No past President or Secretary of the CAB has ever issued a public letter of this nature, and it has come as a great surprise to everyone within the association.”
The existence of an independent Ombudsman and Ethics Officer mechanism required by the Supreme Court-approved Lodha reforms was a crucial component of CAB’s defence.
The organization said that Jyotirmay Bhattacharya, a former chief justice of the Calcutta High Court, has been acting as the CAB’s Ombudsman and Ethics Officer, and that any interested parties are welcome to contact him with concerns supported by proof.
“Any complaint brought before the forum is treated with the highest degree of legal sanctity, impartiality, and transparency, entirely free from the interference of current office bearers,” the letter said.
“Given that a retired Chief Justice of the High Court heads this apex integrity mechanism within our constitution, bypassing this established judicial forum via open public letters appears to be an attempt to publicize sports governance issues rather than addressing genuine concerns through proper legal channels.”
“It is particularly ironical when such communications emanate from a past administrator who has been intimately familiar with these institutional mechanisms during his respective own tenures as Secretary and President up until 2022 and in fact, the said administrator has never complained with regards to any irregularities of CAB from 2022 till date.”
The association made perhaps its most astute observation when it asked the minister to consider the timing of Avishek’s intervention.
“Given the significant timing of this communication, the Ministry’s good office should critically examine why the sender bypassed robust internal forums to drive a public narrative.”
In order to gain a firsthand understanding of the association’s operations, CAB also asked Sports Minister Khan to come and engage with its 140 members.
In his letter dated June 13, Avishek asked the government to set up a private reporting system that would allow athletes, coaches, parents, officials, and whistleblowers to report financial irregularities, eligibility fraud, corruption, coercion, and favoritism.
Ambarish Mitra, a member of the CAB committee who has denied any wrongdoing, was the subject of a complaint at the time of the former CAB chief’s letter. Avishek urged for concerns to be looked into “promptly, fairly and transparently” and mentioned claims that money had been collected from cricket players and their representatives in exchange for opportunities in teams and clubs, without mentioning Mitra.
However, CAB reaffirmed its confidence in the current system and insisted that the Ombudsman procedure was sufficient for handling such concerns.
“We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to absolute transparency, accountability, and the holistic development of cricket in West Bengal. Our primary objective is to assure your good office that the dreams and aspirations of our state’s youth are protected by a robust, independent, and legally mandated administrative framework,” the association said.
