Justice and Care, an anti-trafficking international organisation, whose charity ball event in London on Monday was attended by Vijay Mallya, has distanced itself from any controversy, saying it was unaware that the absconding businessman was an invitee, as the event had been executed by another organisation. The Indian cricket team led by skipper Virat Kohli was also present at the event.
When asked by The Sunday Guardian who invited Mallya, who was seen interacting with the cricketers, a spokesperson from Justice and Care said, “The charity ball was organised and executed by the Essentially Group in London. Mr Mallya is not known to Justice and Care and as the Essentially Group were involved in ticket sales and table allocations, Justice and Care didn’t have, and wouldn’t expect to have, any control of the guest list.”
The UK-based Essentially Group is a part of CSM Sport and Entertainment LLP, which is a part of Chime owned by Providence Equity Partners. The group is involved in making and executing strategies related to communication in the field of sports and entertainment and has offices in 19 countries.
The coming together of the cricket team members and Mallya, who allegedly owes close to Rs 9,000 crore to Indian banks, under one roof has raised questions on the Board of Cricket Control of India (BCCI), which is expected to ensure that the players do not interact with people wanted by law enforcement agencies.
“The argument that no one was aware of the guest list is a feeble response. What were the BCCI officials doing there? It is their duty to make sure that no unwanted guest is allowed in such an event,” a former Indian cricket player said. Mallya is the former owner of the Royal Challengers Bangalore team, which is now led by Virat Kohli.
The charity ball hosted by Kohli was attended by former India cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and other Indian cricket team players along with their family members. Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and other members of the squad, who are in England as part of the ICC Champions Trophy, also attended it.
E-mails sent to the CSM group and “Essentially”, seeking their response on the issue, did not elicit any response till the time the story went to press.