“It Wasn’t a Personal Battle”: Thakur & Shirke React to Sacking

The Supreme Court removed BCCI President Anurag Thakur and Secretary Ajay Shirke from their positions.

Anurag Thakur has been removed as President of the BCCI. (Photo: PTI)

The Supreme Court on Monday sacked Secretary Ajay Shirke and President Anurag Thakur as office-bearers of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) after their failure to implement the Lodha panel recommendations.

“If the Supreme Court judges feel that the BCCI could do better under retired judges, I wish them all the best,” Anurag Thakur said in a video statement on Monday.

Praising the world’s richest cricketing body, Thakur said: “it wasn’t a personal battle, but a battle for the autonomy of the sport’s body”, referring to the year long battle between the apex court-elected Lodha panel and the BCCI.

Reacting to the order, Ajay Shirke said he is “absolutely fine” with the Supreme Court’s order asking him to leave office. He said he hoped the administrative upheaval would not result in the board losing its international standing.

I have no reaction to that (to his sacking). If that is the Supreme Court’s order, I cease to be secretary. It cannot get any simpler than that. My role in BCCI is over.

When asked whether the situation could have been avoided had the Board implemented the sweeping reforms earlier, Shirke said there was no question of handling the issue differently.

At the end of the day, the BCCI consists of members. It is not about me or the president. It is about the members. I have no reason to go into history. History can be judged by people differently. I have no personal attachment to the post. In the past also I have resigned and I have lots of other things to do. I came back to the Board as there was a vacancy and I was elected unopposed. Now it has come to this (the Supreme Court). I am completely fine with it and I have no regrets

He added:

I hope the new dispensation continues the good work done by the BCCI. Hope the Board doesn’t lose face globally. I also hope the Indian team is able to maintain its supremacy in all three formats of the game.

The apex court had also decided to initiate contempt proceedings against Thakur by seeking his response as to why he should not be held liable for obstructing the implementation of the court's directions aimed at reforming the BCCI.

A bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur said the working of BCCI will be looked after by a committee of administrators and requested senior advocate Fali S Nariman and senior advocate Gopal Subramanian, who was assisting in the matter as amicus curiae, to assist the court in nominating persons of impeccable integrity for the panel. The Supreme Court bench, also comprising Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud, said that Nariman and Subramanian will complete the task in two weeks and the matter for passing the direction for nominating the persons in committee of administrators will be taken up on 19 January.

(With inputs from PTI)

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