SUVA lawyer and national rep Vikrant Chandra has relinquished the RC Manubhai Ba Open title after the world governing body of golf R&A ruled that the distance measuring device he used in the opening round of the tournament was illegal.
Clarification was sought from the Scotland based R&A after a complaint was raised by fellow national squad member Roneel Prakash.
He claimed that the distance measuring device Vikrant used in the opening round gave him advantage.
Prakash said the use of the distance measuring device was not stipulated in the local rule in Ba.
He said under the rules of the world governing body R&A, Vikrant should have been disqualified.
The R&A rules states that "during a stipulated round the use of distance measuring device is not permitted unless the committee has introduced a local rule to that effect. The reference is to rule 14.3 if a player breaches the rule it is disqualification."
Shona McRae, the assistant director of rules for the R&A stated in an email that if there was no local rule permitting the use of distance measuring devices, then Rule 14-3 applies where a player would be disqualified for using an artificial device.
Vikrant said it was unfortunate that the use of the distance measuring device was not stipulated in the local rule.
The national rep said he was following the tradition as the device was allowed in the Fiji Open and the Nadi Open. "The decision has come from Scotland and I will not go against that," Vikrant said.
"I took it for granted on the basis that it was allowed during the Nadi Open and Fiji Open. The complaint took me by surprise in Ba.
"I had said in my speech after the presentation that if the R&A would rule in favour of the complaint then I would relinquish the title. The fact is that I never denied using the device. But I'm saddened that the use of the device was not stipulated in the local rule.
Amitesh Chandra who finished as the runner-up said he would not take the title leaving no winner for this year's event.