Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul have been fined by the BCCI Ombudsman DK Jain for their controversial comments on the show Koffee With Karan hosted by Bollywood director Karan Johar at the start of 2019. The Ombudsman has directed Pandya and Rahul to pay Rs one lakh each to families of 10 constables in the para-military forces who have lost their lives on duty.
Also, they have been told to deposit Rs 10 lakh for the Cricket Association of Blind for their misconduct on the talk show according to Cricket Next. Overall, the cricketers have been fined Rs 20 lakh each for their comments and the matter officially has ended now.
The BCCI Ombudsman also said that if the amount is not deposited within four weeks, the BCCI can deduct the amounts from the match fees which are payable to them.
Both players became subjects of nationwide criticism following their remarks on women.
The controversial episode was aired in the first week of January, triggering outrage, which prompted the COA to call the two back from the tour of Australia, handing them provisional suspensions.
The two tendered unconditional apologies and their ban was provisionally lifted pending an inquiry. Once Jain assumed his role, the COA handed over the matter to the ombudsman for the completion of the inquiry.
The two players have also spoken publicly on the incident, recalling one of the toughest phases of their respective careers.
