Supreme Court paves way for Anurag Thakur to return to cricket administration

New Delhi: The Supreme Court, on Thursday, granted relief to former BCCI chief Anurag Thakur and paved way for a potential return to cricket administration. The court modified its January 2017 order which had directed 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 order by the apex court.




Thakur had moved court seeking a modification of the 2017 order. Sr Advocate PS Patwalia, appearing for Thakur, argued that the ban had been going on for nine years and if not lifted may lead to serious hardships.

CJI Kant clarified that the decision was never meant to operate as a lifelong disqualification.

In 2017, the bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur removed Thakur and Secretary Ajay Shirke for continued defiance from implementing the Lodha panel reforms.

On July 14, 2017, the top court had granted relief to Thakur and dropped the contempt and perjury proceedings against him after he tendered an unconditional and unequivocal apology.

For his part, Sr Advocate Gopal Sankarnarayanan, appearing for the Secretary of the Lodha Committee, opposed the application.

TIMELINE OF EVENTS

• On July 18, 2016, the Supreme Court ordered implementation of the Lodha Committee’s reforms in BCCI, including a CAG nominee in 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 bench saw as an attempt to block reforms.
• Evidence showed he had asked then ICC chairman Shashank Manohar (and ICC officials) for a letter saying the CAG nominee would compromise BCCI’s autonomy; when this was denied in ICC correspondence, it contradicted what Thakur had stated on oath.
• On January 2, 2017, the Supreme Court removed Thakur as BCCI president and issued show‑cause notices for contempt and perjury, stating he had made “certain false statements on oath” and attempted to obstruct implementation of its orders. Along with removing him from his position, the court directed that Thakur “forthwith cease and desist” from BCCI work, effectively barring him from cricket board affairs under the 2017 order.
• On July 14, 2017, the contempt and perjury proceedings were dropped after Thakur tendered an unconditional and unequivocal apology.

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