File photo of former BCCI chief and current BJP MP Anurag Thakur. (PTI)
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday granted relief to former BCCI chief Anurag Thakur, paving the way for a potential return to cricket administration. The court modified its January 2017 order ordering Thakur to “cease and desist” from being associated with the affairs of the Indian cricket board.A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi applied the doctrine of proportionality and modified the apex court’s order.
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Thakur approached the court seeking modification of the order in 2017. Advocate PS Patwalia, appearing for Thakur, argued that the ban has been in place for nine years and if not lifted, could lead to serious trouble.CJI Kant clarified that this decision was never intended to operate as a life-long disqualification.In 2017, a bench headed by Chief Justice TS Thakur removed Thakur and Secretary Ajay Shirke for their continued opposition to implementing Lodha panel reforms.On 14 July 2017, the Supreme Court granted relief to Thakur and dropped the contempt and perjury proceedings against him after he tendered an unconditional and unequivocal apology.Sr Advocate Gopal Sankarnarayanan, appearing as Secretary of the Lodh Committee, opposed the application.TIMELINE OF EVENTS
- On 18 July 2016, the Supreme Court ordered the implementation of the Lodha Committee’s reforms in the BCCI, including the nomination of the CAG to its governance structure.
- The court later found that Thakur had tried to use the ICC to portray these reforms (especially the CAG nominee) as “government interference” that could threaten BCCI’s ICC membership, which the court saw as an attempt to block the reforms.
- Evidence showed that he asked the then ICC chairman Shashank Manohar (and ICC officials) for a letter stating that the CAG nominee would threaten BCCI’s autonomy; when it was denied in the ICC correspondence, it contradicted what Thakur had stated under oath.
- On 2 January 2017, the Supreme Court removed Thakur as BCCI president and issued a notice of contempt and perjury, saying that he had made “certain false statements on oath” and attempted to frustrate the execution of its orders. Along with removing him from his post, the court ordered Thakur to “immediately cease and desist” from working for the BCCI, effectively barring him from the cricket board’s affairs under a 2017 order.
- On 14 July 2017, the contempt and perjury proceedings were dropped after Thakur made an unconditional and unequivocal apology.
