Supreme Court curtails BCCI's fiscal powers; Anurag Thakur says will look into all aspects of cricket

 New Delhi: Following the Supreme Court's directive to Lodha panel to put a cap on BCCI's fiscal powers, the cricket body's chief Anurag Thakur bemoaned that they are supposed to follow the apex court's verdict by any how and will look into the matter as to how they go about implementing the same.

Thakur, who has been refraining from implementing the suggested Lodha reforms, has also been asked personally appear before RM Lodha to give undertaking to comply with Lodha panel recommendations and court orders.

Thakur said, "What impact it will have on cricket, we cannot comment before going through the order. Once we get the copy of judgement we shall respond. There are difficulties which have been placed in front of the Court," Thakur told reporters.

The cricket body has been told not to disburse any funds, even for match purposes, to its state units till they resolved to abide by the Justice R M Lodha panel recommendations on reforms.
The apex court also directed BCCI president Anurag Thakur and secretary Ajay Shirke to give undertaking on affidavit, before the Lodha panel and in apex court by December 3, stating how much time they would need to implement reforms.

A bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur and comprising Justices D Y Chandrachud and L. Nageswara Rao asked Lodha panel to appoint independent auditors to scrutinise all BCCI accounts.

"I have full faith in the judiciary. It is the state associations who have to implement the Lodha recommendations, once they get the order, we will have a discussion with them and ask them to implement," Thakur said.

Supreme Court has done its best to have the BCCI implement the Lodha panel's sweeping reforms, said the committee's Chairman Justice (Retd) R M Lodha after the apex court asked the Cricket Board to not disburse funds to its state until they abide by the recommendations.

"If the Supreme Court has done something, it must be for the implementation of its judgement on July 18. The court has done what it thought was best for having its order implemented. Let's see to what extent the order is carried out by the BCCI," said Lodha.

Besides freezing the financial transactions between BCCI and its state bodies, the Supreme Court also directed BCCI President Anurag Thakur and secretary Ajay Shirke to give undertaking on affidavit, before the Lodha panel and in apex court by December 3, stating how much time they would need to implement the reforms.

Lodha said the committee remains open to talking to BCCI top-brass including Thakur to talk about the road ahead.

"If he (Thakur) comes, we will definitely interact with him. As a matter of fact we had invited him on August 9 but he did not come," he added.

A bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur and comprising Justices D Y Chandrachud and L. Nageswara Rao asked Lodha panel to appoint independent auditors to scrutinise all BCCI accounts.

The judgement, which was pronounced by Justice D Y Chandrachud, also directed the Lodha panel to ask the auditors to scrutinise the high-value contracts given by BCCI.

It directed the Lodha panel to fix a ceiling of high-value contracts of BCCI to be scrutinised by the auditors.

The bench also asked the panel secretary to send a copy of the apex court order to the ICC chairman Shashank Manohar.

(With PTI inputs)