File image of Aunrag Thakur. (Photo Credit: Getty Images)
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New Delhi: Former Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chief Anurag Thakur, who was removed from office by the Supreme Court on January 2, 2017 for obstructing the reforms proposed by the Lodha panel, has now filed a petition in the apex court to make him party to the proceedings and recall the earlier order. Thakur’s has urged the court to hear his side of the story about the circumstances that led to the situation.
In his plea, accessed by CricketNext, Thakur says that despite serving Indian cricket with distinction as an administrator since 2000, first in the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association and then in the BCCI, he was unrepresented when the court decided to remove him from the president’s chair. He added that his name has been under public scrutiny ever since the decision and has caused a lot of embarrassment to him and he wishes to present his side to the apex court.
Thakur in his petition has said that he wants the current bench comprising Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, Justice AM Khanwilkar and Justice DY Chandrachud to hear him out at least once as despite pleas to the earlier bench, he was never heard in person or through a counsel. As a result of this he wasn’t aware of any hearing, discussion or debate about his conduct in the whole matter as the then chief of BCCI.
Former Chief Justice of India TS Thakur, had on December 15 threatened to initiate perjury charges against Thakur for allegedly lying on oath about asking the International Cricket Council (ICC) to get involved in the situation and term the Lodha reforms as government interference.
It was said that Thakur had written in his affidavit that he had sought Shashank Manohar's opinion as ICC chairman while Manohar had said that the question had been posed during an ICC meeting. In fact, ICC Chief Executive Dave Richardson had backed Manohar and said that the BCCI had sought a letter from the world body. Richardson went on to add that Thakur had criticised ICC for not helping the Indian board at a time of crisis.
The court had given Thakur time till January 19 to reply to the charges levied against him. On March 6, Thakur’s lawyer PS Patwalia read a statement in which his client “tendered my unconditional and unqualified apology”. The apology had in fact saved Thakur from a potential jail term after the SC had threatened him with that outcome if he was found guilty of lying under oath in an attempt to stall the implementation of the Lodha reforms.
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