Curtains for Thakur, Shirke as BCCI administrators?

Sabi Hussain

Tribune News Service

New delhi, january 3

The Supreme Court judgement removing Anurag Thakur and Ajay Shirke from BCCI’s top posts has virtually ended their careers in cricket administration, according to Gopal Sankaranarayanan, secretary to the Supreme Court-appointed Justice Lodha Committee.

They can’t return to BCCI’s fold as officials after the two were unceremoniously removed by the Supreme Court for “obstructing” the implementation of the Lodha Committee recommendations in BCCI and the state associations. Sankaranarayanan said Thakur and Shirke have been rendered “ineligible” to hold posts in BCCI in future as the Supreme Court had removed them.

“Thakur and Shirke were removed, as per the SC judgment. They are out of the cricket administration and can’t return. Thakur has in fact been found unfit to continue,” Sankaranarayanan told The Tribune.

The Supreme Court’s judgement, which came out on January 2, stated that “a person shall be disqualified from being an Office Bearer if he/she has been an Office Bearer of the BCCI for a cumulative period of 9 years”.

 ‘He’s out’

Both Thakur and Shirke have not served as BCCI officials for nine years each. Thakur got into the BCCI administration in September 2011, while Shirke’s association as a full-fledged BCCI office-bearer started with his election to the post of treasurer in 2012. Shirke resigned from the post in 2013 in the wake of the IPL corruption scandal, before returning as secretary in May 2016.

It was believed that Thakur could return as a BCCI official after a three-year cooling-off period. But Sankaranarayanan brought the curtain down on Thakur’s prospects of staging a comeback. “He is out, no question about it,” he said, citing the Supreme Court order.

The order reads: “We accordingly have arrived at the conclusion that Mr Thakur has by his actions and conduct rendered himself unfit for continuance as President of BCCI. He has obstructed and impeded the implementation of the directions contained in the judgment and order of this Court dated 18 July 2016. His own version is that he has been ‘rendered totally incapable and without any authority’ to compel the members to comply with the orders of this Court. This is indicative of his having washed his hands off a duty and obligation to ensure compliance.”

Johri in charge

Sankaranarayanan also informed that BCCI CEO Rahul Johri will run its day-to-day operations until the Court appoints a panel of administrators (by January 19) to supervise BCCI’s functioning and ensure the implementation of the Lodha Committee recommendations.

The Court had said in its order that the senior-most BCCI vice-president would take over as interim president, while the joint secretary (Amitabh Choudhary) would be the interim secretary, provided the two fulfil the eligibility criteria set out by the Lodha Committee. DDCA vice-president CK Khanna, 64, is among the senior-most VPs of BCCI.

But there was some confusion about who among BCCI’s five vice-presidents is the senior-most. Was it determined through age or experience? “The judgment is based on the experience,” Sankaranarayanan said. “But, at the moment, nobody stands qualified to take charge as interim president and secretary because they all have been disqualified by age/tenure caps. In some cases, the cooling-off period has kicked in. Mr Johri will conduct the routine business till the time a panel of administrators is appointed. That’s the natural thing which will happen.” 

He also pointed out to one particular recommendation which stated: “During the cooling-off period of 3 years, no office-bearer/councillor post may be held by the individual either at the BCCI or the state association.”