SC sacks Thakur as BCCI boss, Shirke as secretary
CAUGHT & BOWLED Administrators to be named to oversee board functioning BCCI TOP ORDER CLEANED UP
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court fired on Monday India’s cricket board president Anurag Thakur and secretary Ajay Shirke for stalling administrative reforms, and said it will appoint its own panel to change the way the sport is run in the country.
The top court also ordered the immediate disqualification of all office-bearers at the board and its state affiliates who fail to meet norms laid down by a panel it had set up to look into the operations of the world’s richest cricket body.
Led by Chief Justice TS Thakur, the bench also came down hard on Anurag Thakur for “lying” to the court. It issued both contempt and perjury notices against him.
“...the turf of the cricket field is not a personal turf or fiefdom,” the bench said, emphasising that vested interests in office had stalled the BCCI’s makeover.
The court said those above 70 years of age, or with nine years in office as cricket administrators or with criminal cases will cease to be members of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and its state associations. It also said government ministers and bureaucrats must be kept out of cricket administration.
It said all office bearers will have to provide an undertaking A person shall be disqualified from being an office-bearer if he or she:
Is not an Indian
Has attained the age of 70 years Is declared to be insolvent, or of unsound mind
Is a minister or government servant
Holds any office or post in a sports or athletic association apart from cricket
Has been an office-bearer of the BCCI for a cumulative period of nine years
Has been charged by a court of law for having committed any criminal offence.
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that they will carry through the reforms recommended by former chief justice RM Lodha or “demit the post and cease to be office bearers.”
Lodha was appointed in early 2015 to head up a committee to reform the running of Indian cricket in the wake of the Indian Premier League (IPL) corruption scandal. The panel later made a number of wide-sweeping recommendations, including age and tenure restrictions for top officials, as >>FULL REPORT ON P8 Perjury and contempt notices issued against Thakur for making false statement before court Senior-most BCCI vicepresident to perform president’s duties; joint secretary to perform secretary’s duties
If SC judges feel that BCCI could do better under retired judges, I wish them all the best. I am sure Indian cricket will do well under their guidance.
well as banning them from serving successive terms.
However, the BCCI did not carry out all the reforms in virtual defiance of the Supreme Court’s directives, culminating in Monday’s court sacking of its top officials.
The top court asked senior advocates Fali Nariman and Gopal Subramanium to suggest names for a new committee to run BCCI’s business operations, and fixed January 19 to hear them. CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 ANURAG THAKUR, sacked BCCI chief
I have no reaction to that (to his sacking). If that is the Supreme Court order, I cease to be secretary. It cannot get any simpler than that. My role in BCCI is over.
AJAY SHIRKE, sacked BCCI secretary
Woh kehte hain Modi hatao, main kehta hoon kala dhan, bhrashtachaar hatao (They are saying remove Modi, but I’m saying remove black money and corruption).
NARENDRA MODI, Prime Minister