India’s Supreme Court has cracked the whip on one of the world’s richest and most powerful sports bodies by ordering the removal of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Anurag Thakur and secretary Ajay Shirke.
The order was passed yesterday by a bench comprising Chief Justice T S Thakur, Justice A M Khanwilkar and Justice D Y Chandrachud for the duo’s failure to implement a slew of reforms recommended by the R M Lodha Committee.
Besides sacking Thakur and Shirke, the court also issued notices to them asking them why they should not be tried for perjury and contempt of court. In an earlier hearing the duo had failed to admit that they had asked for a letter from the International Cricket Council (ICC) stating that the appointment of a nominee of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) on the Board of Control for Cricket in India amounted to government interference in its affairs.
“Supreme Court judges feel that BCCI could do better under retired judges, I wish them all the best. I am sure Indian cricket will do well under their guidance,” Thakur said sarcastically in a video message posted on Twitter.
 Retired Justice Lodha, who headed the panel for bringing in reforms, which included age and tenure restrictions for top officials as well as banning them from serving successive terms, said: “The reforms were laid down on July 18. BCCI was bound to follow it but they didn’t. Hence consequences had to follow.
“It’s a victory for cricket. Administrators will come and go and I am sure the game will flourish.”
Former India skipper Bishan Singh Bedi, who has been a constant voice against the BCCI set-up, said: “I hope Indian cricket will return on the right track.”
It is no secret that the BCCI considered itself a law unto itself, holding the ICC to ransom on various issues and arm-twisting lesser powerful boards into supporting its policies. On the back of its massive financial clout, the BCCI stonewalled the universal application of the Decision Review System (DRS) for several years driving the ICC to frustration and employed an army of public relations men in the form of past players to ensure its interests and reputation were protected whenever there was a controversy.
Critics of the Supreme Court ruling will inevitably argue that the BCCI was the only sports body in India that actually did a lot to develop the game and took good care of past and present players by giving them generous salaries and pensions.
The fact also remains that it has used its rich coffers to ensure its hegemony at the global level, and there are reasons to suggest that the way it distributed funds to member associations, conducted IPL auctions and struck sponsorship and television rights deals is not above suspicion.
The Supreme Court’s decision has created a sensation in India, but it must follow through and ensure that the reforms are implemented for cricket’s general good and also go after other sports bodies where corruption and nepotism rule.

It is no secret that the cricket board considered itself above the law