Meghalaya Cricket Association’s Ombudsman upholds secretary Kharkamni’s suspension until the end of the elected body’s term

The Ombudsman upheld the suspension following complaints of sexual harassment by women players and findings of procedural failures, with the Meghalaya High Court previously backing the president’s interim action.

Updated : Nov 06, 2026 17:19 IST , SHILLONG - 4 MINS READ

REPRESENTATIVE IMAGE: MCA secretary Rayonald Kharkamni will stay suspended till the end of the Apex Council’s term. | Photo Credit: GETTY IMAGES

The Meghalaya Cricket Association (MCA) Ombudsman ruled on Friday that secretary Rayonald Kharkamni will stay suspended till the end of the Apex Council’s term, ending a case that began with complaints from women players and resulted in open conflict within the association’s leadership.

Justice (Retd.) B. D. Agarwal upheld the suspension first imposed on June 27 by MCA president James P. K. Sangma, a week after the Meghalaya High Court backed the same step. The suspension runs until the elected body completes its term in December 2028. Kharkamni has been ordered to hand over all MCA property, files, records, passwords and equipment at once. 

In practical terms, he will no longer function as Secretary of the MCA.

The trouble began in the winter of 2025. On December 2 and December 3, complaints of sexual harassment reached the MCA’s official email. According to findings of the Meghalaya State Commission for Women (MSCW), no inquiry followed, no reply went to the complainants and no redressal mechanism was set in motion. At that point, the association had also never formed the internal complaints committee that the POSH law requires for a workplace of its size.

“Ours is a matrilineal state, and we take pride in it. But this pride means nothing if such cases continue happening at workplaces across the state,” Sangma said. “Women are the cornerstone of our society and culture, and even as citizens, we should not remain silent when such unfortunate cases take place daily in our state.”

The High Court, in its October 30 judgement, dismissed Kharkamni’s challenge to the suspension. Justice H. S. Thangkhiew held that the president’s action “cannot be said to be arbitrary” and was an interim measure, not a final verdict.

The Court said the law on workplace harassment demands that an employer act at once to prevent a hostile environment. It noted that the MSCW had recorded a deliberate cover-up by the secretary through the suppression of the December emails and held that the suspension was justified “to protect the evidence and the complainants” while the formal inquiry went forward.

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The Court said the MSCW’s findings had exposed the association’s failure to protect its female players. It ordered the MCA to put proper safety protocols in place, preferably within six weeks of its judgement.

The judgement also dealt with Kharkamni’s attempt to unseat the Ombudsman. The Court observed that he had raised no objection to the appointment until the MSCW’s orders came and that the notice calling the Apex Council meeting, which ratified it on March 7, carried his own signature. The Court said the challenge was flawed.

In the recent order, the Ombudsman, citing the MSCW findings and the High Court’s observations, said no separate inquiry of his own was needed. He wrote that the guardian of the players had let their dignity and safety be given a go-by, that this could not be tolerated to any extent, and that Kharkamni did not deserve to remain among the association’s office bearers. 

Notices were issued to Kharkamni by the Ombudsman on July 6, July 24 and August 10, but he did not appear or contest the case before the Ombudsman.

Sangma said the Association “is committed and will work towards ensuring all compliances are met, providing a safe and dignified environment for all its players, especially women.”