Harbhajan Singh: Veteran spinner under scanner after allegations of conflict of interest

AP Shah forwarded a complaint from Mumbai-based activist Niraj Gunde to the Punjab cricketer on January 16 asking him to respond to the allegation by January 30.

New Delhi: As a part of their strict stand on all matters related to conflict of interest, the Office of the Ombudsman, has now asked India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh to respond to an allegation of conflict of interest related to his links to a sports apparel company that sponsors various Ranji teams in domestic cricket.

According to a report in ESPN Cricinfo, former Justice AP Shah ­ the CI-appointed Ombudsman, forwarded a complaint from Mumbai-based activist Niraj Gunde to the Punjab cricketer on January 16 asking him to respond to the allegation by January 30.

"It is widely reported that Mr. Harbhajan Singh had started a company by name of Bhajji sports, which is a sports apparel company," Gunde wrote in an email to Shah on January 14. The same e-mail, accessed by ESPNcricinfo, was copied to BCCI president Shashank Manohar and Ratnakar Shetty, BCCI manager, game development. "Further, news reports have indicated that this Bhajji sports is sponsoring upto 6 Ranji Teams (Member Associations of the BCCI)," Gunde wrote.

Earlier, Shah wrote a different letter to Manohar enquiring about former India captain Sourav Ganguly's multiple roles in administration.

Shah gave Manohar and the present chief operating officer of the IPL, Ratnakar Shetty, two weeks time, until January 27, to respond to allegations of Ganguly coming within the conflict zone.

The former Indian skipper, is not only the president of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), but also a member of the Indian Premier League (IPL) governing council.