Amul managing director RS Sodhi ousted; Jayenbhai Mehta gets interim charge
Ahmedabad/ New Delhi (PTI): In a sudden development, the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd (GCMMF), which markets its products under the brand name 'Amul', on Monday ousted its long-serving Managing Director R S Sodhi but did not give any reason.
However, Sodhi said he had requested the federation's board to relieve him of his duties.
The federation's Chief Operating Officer Jayenbhai Mehta has been given the interim charge of the Managing Director (MD).
Sodhi, who has been associated with the federation for more than four decades, put in his papers soon after the board asked him to relinquish the charge.
While the reason for the sudden move could not be immediately ascertained, Sodhi said he was on an extension and had requested the board to relieve him from the responsibility of the MD.
At the federation's board meeting held at the premises of AmulFed dairy in Gandhinagar on Monday, it was decided to end the services of Sodhi.
"As per the resolution no.2 of the board meeting, it was proposed to end your service as the federation's MD with immediate effect. Thus, you are hereby directed to relinquish your charge as MD with immediate effect and hand it over to federation COO, Jayenbhai Mehta," according to a communication sent by the board to Sodhi.
The communication was signed by the federation's chairman Shamalbhai Patel and Vice Chairman Valamjibhai Humbal.
Sodhi said he is "very happy" with the federation's decision and refuted some reports which suggested that he has been "sacked" and his office has been "sealed".
"My term as MD ended two years back and I was on extension. I had requested the board to relieve me from this responsibility. The board had told me to wait for some time saying they will relieve me once they find a suitable replacement" Sodhi told reporters.
"When I again requested the GCMMF board to relieve me, they finally accepted my request and relieved me today. It was my own decision to step down and I am very happy today" he said.
When Sodhi took over as MD, the federation's turnover was only Rs 9,774 crore in the 2010-11 fiscal. It touched Rs 61,000 crore in 2021-22 financial year.
Sodhi, who has been working with the federation for more than 40 years, served as the MD for 12 years.
He was first appointed as MD in 2010 for five years. In 2015, he was re-appointed to the same post till 2020. Since then, he has been on an extension.
Sodhi did his MBA from the Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA) and started his career as a manager with the federation.
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Rickelton's ton in vain as SRH beat MI by 6 wickets
Mumbai (PTI): Ryan Rickelton's whirlwind unbeaten ton was overshadowed by Heinrich Klaasen's unbeaten 65 as Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Mumbai Indians by six wickets in an IPL match here on Wednesday.
Chasing an imposing 244-run target, Travis Head (76 off 30) and Abhishek Sharma (45 off 24) shared 129 runs for the opening wicket to set the platform for SRH.
Klaasen (65 not out off 30 balls) then displayed his all-round hitting abilities to guide SRH home with the help of Nitish Kumar Reddy (21) and Salil Arora (30 not out off 10) in 18.4 overs.
Earlier, Rickelton's knock powered MI to 243 for five.
MI rode on a 93-run stand between Rickelton (123 not out off 55 balls) and Will Jacks (46 off 22) in 7.1 overs for the opening stand to power the side.
MI skipper Hardik Pandya scored a valuable 31 off 15 balls before being dismissed.
Praful Hinge (2/54), Eshan Malinga (1/29), Sakib Hasan (1/39) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (1/31) were the wicket-takers for SRH.
Brief Scores:
Mumbai Indian: 243 for 5 in 20 overs (Ryan Rickelton 123 not out; Praful Hinge 2/54).
Sunrisers Hyderabad: 249 for 4 in 18.4 overs (Travis Head 76, Heinrich Klaasen 65 not out; AM Ghazanfar 2/51).
