The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) has written a formal letter to Indranil Khan, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for the Department of Youth Services and Sports, West Bengal, defending its grievance redressal structure and reaffirming the integrity of its institutional checks and balances. The letter, dated 17 June, came in direct response to an open letter posted on Facebook by former CAB president Avishek Dalmiya, who had raised concerns over alleged corruption, systemic rot, and selection integrity within the association.

The Trigger: Dalmiya's Open Letter

Former CAB president Avishek Dalmiya had posted an open letter on his Facebook page, raising what the incumbent managing committee described as 'generalised apprehensions' regarding corruption and governance lapses. The CAB office-bearers, led by the managing committee under former India captain Sourav Ganguly, responded by asserting that established legal mechanisms already exist to address such concerns — and that bypassing them in favour of public posts undermines the process.

The Ombudsman Framework at the Centre of the Dispute

The CAB's formal response emphasised that the association operates under a compliance structure mandated by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Constitution. This includes an Ombudsman — required to be a retired Chief Justice of a High Court — and a separate Ethics Officer.

According to the letter, Justice Jyotirmay Bhattacharya, former Chief Justice of the High Court of Calcutta, has served as CAB's Ombudsman for the past two years and is currently also officiating as Ethics Officer. The CAB stated that this system has been operational since 2019, with all complaints handled with 'the highest degree of legal sanctity, impartiality, and transparency, entirely free from the interference of current office-bearers.'

CAB's Pointed Rebuke of the Public Route

The letter did not shy away from a pointed critique of Dalmiya's approach. '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 publicise sports governance issues rather than addressing genuine concerns through proper legal channels,' the letter stated.

The office-bearers also urged the State Sports Ministry to 'critically examine why the sender bypassed a robust internal forum to drive a public narrative.' The communication further invited Minister Khan to visit the CAB and interact directly with its 140 members to ascertain the facts on the ground.

CAB's Assurance to the State Government

The managing committee used the letter to restate its commitment to clean governance and infrastructure development for West Bengal. 'The current administration of the CAB remains entirely focused on the meritocracy of clean governance and major infrastructure projects for the state. We assure the Government of West Bengal that any specific evidence-backed complaint submitted to the Hon'ble Ombudsman will be dealt with under the strict rule of law,' the letter read.

The letter also listed the eminent personalities who have led the CAB over the past 30 years, contextualising the association's institutional continuity. Whether Dalmiya responds through the formal Ombudsman channel or continues his public campaign is likely to define the next phase of this governance dispute.