Anurag Thakur has been cleared to return to cricket administration after the Supreme Court on Thursday, February 5, lifted the restriction that had barred him from taking part in the affairs of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The decision ends a ban that had been in place since January 2017.
The former BCCI president is now permitted to engage with the board in line with its rules and regulations. The Supreme Court modified its earlier order after hearing an application filed by Thakur seeking relief from the restriction imposed more than eight years ago.
The matter was heard by a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi. While revisiting the 2017 ruling, the bench applied the doctrine of proportionality and concluded that the earlier direction no longer required continuation. As a result, the court amended its previous order, enabling Thakur to participate in BCCI-related activities.
In January 2017, the apex court had directed Thakur to “cease and desist” from associating with the board. That order followed the initiation of contempt and perjury proceedings against him on January 2, 2017. The proceedings were linked to a false affidavit submitted by Thakur concerning correspondence with then International Cricket Council chairperson Shashank Manohar over the issue of the BCCI’s autonomy.
What happened in recent hearing?
During Thursday’s hearing, the court also took note of subsequent developments in the case. It is considered that Thakur had tendered an unqualified apology before the court during the earlier proceedings. This apology formed part of the background against which the bench reassessed the continuing validity of the ban.
On July 14, 2017, the Supreme Court had already provided partial relief to Thakur by dropping the contempt and perjury cases after he appeared before the court in person and offered an unconditional and unequivocal apology. However, the restriction on his association with the BCCI had remained in place until now.
With the latest order, that limitation has been formally removed. While the ruling does not assign Thakur any specific role within the board, it restores his eligibility to be involved in BCCI affairs, subject to the organisation’s existing rules and framework.