The Supreme Court on Friday asked the former president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Anurag Thakur to tender afresh an “unequivocal” and “categorical” apology before it in a contempt case initiated against him.
A bench, comprising Justices Dipak Misra, A.M. Khanwilkar and D.Y. Chandrachud, said it was not going to consider the earlier affidavit of apology filed by Mr. Thakur and asked him to file a “one-page short affidavit” tendering unconditional apology.
The bench indicated that it was willing to accept the apology and close the contempt proceedings against Mr. Thakur, a BJP MP from Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh.
Senior advocate P.S. Patwalia, appearing for Mr. Thakur, said though his client was willing to tender an unconditional apology, he has got a very good case on merit through which it can be proved that he did no wrong.
The apex court fixed the matter for July 14 and asked Mr. Thakur to remain present before it that day.
The court initiated the contempt proceedings against him on January 2 this year for filing a false affidavit over writing to the International Cricket Council (ICC) on the issue of autonomy.
“The conduct of the president of the BCCI in seeking a letter from the president of the ICC in August 2016, after the final judgment and Order of this Court, is nothing but an attempt on the part of the head of the BCCI to evade complying, with the Order of this Court,” the court had said while issuing the show cause notice to Thakur.
Coming down heavily on the defiant BCCI brass, the court, on Januray 2, removed Mr. Thakur and Ajay Shirke as president and secretary for “obstructing” and “impeding” its directions for overhauling governance in the cricket body and appointed a committee of administrators to oversee the BCCI’s functions.
