Published: Jan 02, 2017, 11:43 AM (IST)
Edited: Jan 02, 2017, 12:54 PM (IST)
The Supreme Court of India on Monday removed Anurag Thakur and Ajay Shirke from the posts of BCCI president and secretary respectively. The Supreme Court also added that all officials of the BCCI and its state associations who refuse to ‘abide by the recommendations’ of the Lodha panel shall ‘demit office forthwith’. The country’s apex court appointed Fali Nariman and senior lawyer Gopal Subramanium — who has been working as Amicus Curiae — to finalise a committee of BCCI administrators, which will be announced on January 19. According to ANI, “Supreme Court says as per July 18, 2016 order, these (Anurag Thakur & Ajay Shirke) 2 officials did not comply with its order and thereby been removed.”
“Supreme Court says that the BCCI and state board officials failed to implement its orders to bring transparency and accountability in cricket body,” ANI added. Justice RM Lodha, whose committee came up with drastic changes in the way Indian cricket should be managed, told the news agency, “This was to happen, and now this has happened. Had submitted three reports before Supreme court, even then it wasn’t implemented. Once committee’s reforms were accepted by Supreme Court in its July 18 order, it had to be implemented, this is logical consequence. One should understand once SC order has come, it has to be obeyed by all, majesty of law has worked. It is the victory for the game of cricket and it will flourish, administrators come and go but its for the benefit of the game.” Lodha added that the order of Supreme court should work as a template for other sports organisations.
Thakur has been served with a formal notice of contempt of court and perjury, and he has time till January 19 to reply. “The Supreme Court passes an order directing the BCCI president and secretary to desist from any board functions from hereon,” AFP reported.
Thakur had earlier claimed that BCCI members are not being given any time by the Lodha Commitee to discuss over some of the recommendations which they feel are not practically possible. “The members are not agreeing to implement three or four recommendations as they are not practical. To convey this, we need time but the committee is not giving us time for the last two months,” Thakur had said.
This is a revolution the kind of which I haven’t seen in all the years I have followed Indian cricket. Await the calm beyond the storm.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) January 2, 2017
It’s an important day for Indian cricket that will hopefully benefit Indian cricket fans. Cricket should be run for fans, not administrators
— Jarrod Kimber (@ajarrodkimber) January 2, 2017
In the wake of the IPL 2013 spot-fixing and betting scandal, the Lodha Committee was appointed in January 2015 to determine the changes required in BCCI’s functioning, prevent fraud and also look into the areas of conflict of interest. A year later, the Lodha Committee released its reports, but BCCI and its state associations did not cooperate despite the Lodha Committee providing several deadlines.
