New Delhi: In a significant relief to former BCCI president Anurag Thakur, the Supreme Court on Thursday modified its January 2017 order and permitted him to participate in the affairs of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in accordance with the board’s rules and regulations.
A Bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi applied the doctrine of proportionality while passing the order on an application filed by Thakur seeking modification of the earlier directive.
In its January 2017 ruling, the apex court had asked Thakur to “cease and desist” from associating with the functioning of the BCCI. The restriction was imposed in connection with contempt and perjury proceedings initiated against him for allegedly filing a false affidavit related to correspondence with the then International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman Shashank Manohar concerning the autonomy of the BCCI.
The court noted that Thakur had subsequently tendered an unqualified apology before it. Taking this into account, the Bench observed that the continued restriction was disproportionate and warranted reconsideration.
It may be recalled that on January 2, 2017, the Supreme Court had initiated contempt and perjury proceedings against Thakur. However, on July 14, 2017, the court dropped the proceedings after Thakur personally submitted an unconditional and unequivocal apology.
With the modification of the 2017 order, Thakur is now free to engage in BCCI-related activities as per the applicable rules.
