‘Statements by Thakur, Katju constitute contempt’

In his status report, Justice RM Lodha took strong objection to some anti-supreme Court order comments made by those connected BCCI. The report suggests that some recent statements by the BCCI president Anurag Thakur and Former Supreme Court judge Markandey Katju — head of board's legal committee formed to laise with Lodha Committee — were “grossly out of order and would even constitute contempt”. The committee felt that the BCCI tried to undermine them and the Supreme Court by uploading Justice Katju's 'Interim Report' on their website and organizing a press conference on August 7 where he made "several deragatory remarks" about them. Katju was appointed as head of the Interim legal committee to probe the Lodha committee recommendations on August 2.

Some excerpts from Katju’s ‘Interim Report’

■ In Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland” there was a character called the Queen of Hearts. Whenever she sees anybody, she shouts “off with his head”. When someone said what about first issuing a charge sheet, holding a trial and giving a verdict, she replied “all that can come later, first off with his head.” I regret to say that the Supreme Court bench as well as the Lodha Committee have behaved like the Queen of Hearts.

■ The order of 18.7.2016 (where the Supreme Court asked the BCCI to implement a majority of the Lodha recommendations) is nothing but an unwarranted attempt by the Court at the behest of the Lodha Committee at enacting legislation which tramples upon the rights of citizens and associations and seriously impinges on the legislative functions of not only Parliament but also respective State Assemblies.

■ Like Alexander the Great cutting the Gordian Knot in its uninhibited and unbridled frenzy, the committee has cast aside all principles of the Constitution, the law and propriety and is conducting a witch hunt.

Thakur’s statements that Lodha committee found objectionable.

■ The ICC shows concern when there’s outside interference in countries like Sri Lanka and Nepal but has been quiet when there’s been interference in BCCI. We are being arm-twisted at home and in ICC.

■ People who have never even played the game, they are trying to govern the board. Efforts are being made to cut BCCI’S roots.

■ He even invited the Justice Lodha and his team to “come and see the amount of work BCCI does, how it has grown over a period of time with a lot of transparency and accountability” in the upcoming domestic season since the panel “has been unable to visit the state associations and the BCCI headquarters and has met only in five-star hotels".