SHILLONG, July 7: Trouble seems to be mounting for suspended MCA honorary secretary Rayonald Kharkamni and former treasurer Dhrubajyoti Thakuria as fresh allegations of financial irregularities have surfaced over payments exceeding Rs 1.55 crore to an Assam-based vendor whose GST compliance had been repeatedly flagged by internal auditors.
According to audit records reviewed by this newspaper, Deloitte, the MCA’s internal auditor, had flagged transactions with M/s Ricon Business in successive reports. The vendor had defaulted on GST returns since September 2023 and its registration was cancelled on May 21, 2025. Despite these repeated warnings, payments allegedly continued for an extended period, potentially exposing the association to significant input tax credit losses and other GST compliance risks.
The audit observations also raised concerns that payments of this magnitude were cleared without prior approval from the MCA Apex Council, as required under the association’s constitution.
This latest controversy comes amid Kharkamni’s ongoing suspension by president James P.K. Sangma over allegations of inaction on sexual harassment complaints filed by U-23 women’s team players against their coach and manager.
The Meghalaya State Commission for Women had found the duo guilty, resulting in lifetime bans, while Kharkamni’s role in the alleged cover-up was referred to the ombudsman. The internal power struggle has already spilled into the Meghalaya High Court, which stayed a special general meeting called by Kharkamni.
Responding to the fresh allegations, Kharkamni strongly rejected any suggestion of wrongdoing. “The Apex Council authorises the Secretary to clear all payments to vendors. Therefore, the question of saying that the Apex Council did not authorise the payments does not arise,” he said.
He further questioned the source of the claims and shifted responsibility for GST compliance to the accounts department. “It is the job of the accounts team to check GST compliance or any taxation-related matters concerning vendors… It is not the duty of the Secretary or Treasurer to go through tax matters because they are not experts in those fields,” Kharkamni maintained.
The MCA secretary also denied that Deloitte had ever asked the association to stop payments to the vendor, stating that all queries were addressed by the accounts team.
While Kharkamni insists all procedures were followed, the audit red flags ignored over a prolonged period have now raised serious questions about financial oversight, vendor due diligence and governance standards within the Meghalaya Cricket Association — already under intense scrutiny following multiple crises.
