Supreme Court demands an unconditional apology from Anurag Thakur
Former BCCI president, Anurag Thakur has been asked by the apex Indian court, who rejected his previous apology, to submit an “unconditional, unequivocal and unqualified” apology. Thakur had been accused of contempt of court for writing to ICC requesting their help in retaining BCCI's autonomy.
Anurag Thakur was ousted from power as the President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India after Thakur wrote to the International Cricket Council(ICC) seeking their help to get the top court off the board's back. The Supreme Court had then found him guilty of contempt of court and appointed the Committee of Administrators(CoA) to oversee BCCI's functioning and to make it more transparent and accountable.
The apex Indian court asked Thakur to submit an apology explaining the reasons for his actions and said that his failure to do so would make him punishable by a jail term of a maximum of six months. The Supreme Court further initiated contempt of court proceedings against Thakur for trying to seek ICC's help to undermine court orders.
The former BCCI President submitted his apology in writing but a new bench led by Justice Dipak Misra who is scheduled to take over CJI JS Khehar after August 28th denied the apology stating it was "qualified" and asked Thakur to submit a fresh "one-page short affidavit" tendering an apology.
“File an unconditional apology, we will drop proceedings,” Justice Misra told additional solicitor general PS Patwalia, who appeared for Thakur, reported PTI.
"We will grant you one more opportunity. We suggest that you file a one-page affidavit in categorical language that you tender an unequivocal and unconditional apology for the misinformation or miscommunication that happened," the bench said.
“There is no contempt or perjury,” Patwalia said, who agreed to submit a fresh apology while citing a "slight lack of communication" as the reason for the issue reaching this stage.
He tried to explain the miscommunication but the court was disinclined to hear him. Justice Misra expressed his reluctance to accept any qualified apology and asked him to tender a fresh, unqualified apology to the court.
“Any apology must be unequivocal,” Justice Misra said while adjourning the case for further hearing next Friday, and the bench has also asked for Thakur to be present along with the apology affidavit.