The board of control for cricket in India’s (BCCI) fight against the Lodha committee’s recommendations has now dragged International cricket council (ICC) chairman Shashank Manohar into the Supreme Court.
On Friday, the apex court asked Manohar to file a response following BCCI president Anurag Thakur’s affidavit earlier this week clarifying his stand on seeking a letter from the ICC to state that implementation of Lodha panel’s recommendations and apex court directions amounted to government interference in its working.
The Supreme Court had on October 7 directed Thakur to file a personal affidavit on media reports that he had asked ICC CEO Dave Richardson to state that the appointment of a CAG nominee in the BCCI’s apex council as recommended by Lodha committee was government interference in the working of the Indian cricket body.
The Court’s order on Friday pointed out that the affidavits submitted by Thakur and BCCI’s general manager (cricket operations), Ratnakar Shetty contradicted each other.
“The statement made by BCCI in its response to the status report contains a denial that its President (Anurag Thakur) made a request to ICC to issue a letter stating that the committee amounted to governmental interference. However, in the affidavit which has since been filed by the President of BCCI in pursuance of the Court’s directions of 7 October 2016, it has been accepted that he had made a request to the Chairman of ICC for issuing a letter,” the SC order stated.
“Mr (Ratnakar) Shetty in his response to the status report claims that the CEO of ICC had “falsely” stated in his interview that the President of BCCI had requested ICC to issue a letter stating that the intervention of this Court amounted to governmental interference. The version of Mr Shetty is at variance to what is alleged to have been stated by the CEO of ICC. It may also become necessary for this Court to assess the veracity of the version of Mr Shetty and that of Mr Richardson. Mr Shashank Manohar, the then President of BCCI is presently the Chairman of ICC,” it said.
{{/usCountry}}“Mr (Ratnakar) Shetty in his response to the status report claims that the CEO of ICC had “falsely” stated in his interview that the President of BCCI had requested ICC to issue a letter stating that the intervention of this Court amounted to governmental interference. The version of Mr Shetty is at variance to what is alleged to have been stated by the CEO of ICC. It may also become necessary for this Court to assess the veracity of the version of Mr Shetty and that of Mr Richardson. Mr Shashank Manohar, the then President of BCCI is presently the Chairman of ICC,” it said.
{{/usCountry}}“A copy of this order shall be forwarded to him by the Secretary to the Committee in order to enable him to consider filing a response setting out his version, to set the record straight and assist this Court. Mr Manohar is at liberty to obtain a report from Mr Richardson before filing his response,” the SC order said.