Board of Control for Cricket in India President Anurag Thakur on Monday denied asking Int'l Cricket Council CEO Dave Richardson to state that the Indian Supreme Court's appointment of the Justice R.M. Lodha Committee is tantamount to "governmental interference" in the working of the board, according to Krishnadas Rajagopal of THE HINDU. In a four-page affidavit filed in the Supreme Court, Thakur "explained that he had met" ICC Chair Shashank Manohar in Dubai on the sidelines of an ICC meeting held on Aug. 6 and 7. Thakur submitted that he had reminded Manohar of his earlier stand as BCCI president that the Lodha Committee’s recommendation to have a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) nominee on the BCCI Apex Council was “governmental interference” and might lead to the BCCI’s suspension from the ICC. Thakur said that he had merely asked Manohar to “clarify” his position on the issue as ICC chair. Thakur’s personal affidavit was "in response to a court order" on Oct. 7 to explain allegations raised by Richardson that the BCCI president had sought a letter saying that the Lodha Committee reforms amounted to “government interference.” Chief Justice T.S. Thakur said, "So are you accusing Mr. Richardson of falsehood then?" Senior advocate Kapil Sibal responded, "Then the best thing is to ask Mr. Shashank Manohar as to what happened. I (Anurag Thakur) never spoke to Mr. Dave Richardson" (THE HINDU, 10/17).
