Coimbatore, 21 Nov 2019: FMSCI President J Prithvi Raj, issued a statement on 21 November 2019, following the unfair ban imposed on him as Clerk of the Course (CoC). He informed that an appeal was filed by him the Coimbatore Auto Sports Club (CASC) to the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs in India (FMSCI) appellate body.

On
Nov 5, a Committee formed to inquire into the incident that happened in Jodhpur
where three people died, had banned Prithvi Raj as CoC for three years and said
that he should serve only as DCoC after serving the 3-year period. It also said
that he would continue to be the President of FMSCI.

The CASC was
also penalised Rs 5 lakh and was barred from organising any events outside
Coimbatore. CASC said that it is unreasonable to punish them for no fault of
theirs and have filed an appeal.

Prithvi
Raj, who is also the president of the Coimbatore Auto Sports Club and a veteran
of several National and important events said: ``I am sharing this statement in my individual capacity,
as the CoC of the Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) for the Jodhpur
Round.

``As
a responsible and senior official of the FMSCI, with over 28 years in the
profession in various capacities, including as CoC of innumerable events, I
have always carried out my duties with diligence and a sense of responsibility.
I have always considered safety and procedure as top priority, never
compromising on either of them ever in my life. 

``As
CoC of the Jodhpur Rally too, I had ensured that every safety measure was in
place and FMSCI Observer too went on the route and approved the stage setup
before giving it the green signal.

``So,
I disagree with the three-year penalty imposed on me. It is harsh and unfair
too, especially as the Council members did not give me any opportunity to
present my version nor a copy of the report before passing their verdict. This
is against the principles of natural justice. 

``Taking
into account everything that has happened before, during and after the Rally, I
have decided to appeal against the penalty imposed on me. If nothing, I should
be given an opportunity to put forward my case,'' concluded Prithviraj. 

Appeal by
CASC is given below:

To,

The
Members of the Council,

The
Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India, Chennai.

Sirs,

We
are in receipt of the FMSCI Enquiry Panel report as modified and approved by
the Council of FMSCI on 5th November 2019.

We
were shocked and surprised to by the recommendations of the Enquiry Panel and
the decision of the Council to impose a monetary penalty of Rs.5,00,000/- on
CASC and to ban CASC from organizing National Championship Events outside of
Coimbatore till 31stDecember 2022. We hereby place our objections to the same.

Firstly,
CASC was never given any notice by the Enquiry Panel or by FMSCI to attend the
enquiry conducted by the Enquiry Panel or to send anyone to represent CASC in
the enquiry, which notice should have been sent well before the date of
enquiry; second, we were never called upon by any show cause notice to express
our objections or differences in respect of the recommendations of the Enquiry
Panel post enquiry and post report; we have been, as an entity and as member of
FMSCI, entirely unaware of the above developments and recommendations.

We
further find that the report of the Enquiry Panel reads as if Mr. J.
Prithiviraj participated in the enquiry as our representative. That is not
correct. We never authorized Mr. J. Prithiviraj or anyone else for that matter
to represent us in the enquiry since we had not been called upon to do so. The
monetary penalty and the ban have been imposed on us is entirely in violation of
principles of natural justice and fair play. As such, the same are not legal
and binding.

In
light of the above, we request you to withdraw the penalty and ban imposed on
us forthwith. In the event of the council failing to withdraw the decision, we
reserve our right to seek appropriate remedies.

Awaiting
your reply at the earliest.

Truly,

Signed/

(J.Balu)

Hony.
Jt. Secretary.