Ex-BCCI chief Srinivasan accuses Anurag Thakur of perjury; seeks criminal prosecution: Report

Former BCCI President N Srinivasan has upped the stakes in his battle with board secretary Anurag Thakur by filing charges of perjury in the Supreme Court and seeking criminal prosecution of Thakur, according to a report in the Indian Express. With the BCCI about to choose its next president in a special general meeting on 4 October, the Srinivasan petition adds another twist to the story and exposes the bitter rift within the board. [caption id=“attachment_2214892” align=“alignleft” width=“430”]  N Srinivasan (left) and Anurag Thakur - another battle looms. File photo: PTI[/caption] Srinivasan has accused Thakur of making misleading statements in his affidavit filed alongside the BCCI’s plea seeking clarification from the Supreme Court as to whether Srinivasan can be permitted to attend its BCCI meetings or whether there is still a conflict of interest that should keep him away. “The averments in the false (BCCI) application can then only be personal to Anurag Thakur, who has abused the process of this court by filing his personal false affidavit in the garb of an affidavit on behalf of the BCCI,” Srinivasan says in his plea. Srinivasan also accused Thakur of sensationalising BCCI’s position in his plea as he “sought to create a confusion between him and his namesake, another N Srinivasan, who is a former partner of a chartered accountancy firm in Chennai,” the report says. Srinivasan asserts that Thakur’s claim regarding the amendment to BCCI constitution was brought in to accommodate Srinivasan and his interests in Chennai Super Kings, as an “egregious lie.” Srinivasan adds that even Thakur was present in the AGM in 2008 when this amendment was ratified. He also goes one step further to say that if every office bearer of the BCCI and representatives of the state associations present when the amendment was made, is a party to this, then that includes Prime Minister Narendra Modi too, who was the President of Gujarat Cricket Association then. Srinivasan has sought prosecution against Thakur for portraying the former BCCI chief as a “villain, preventing the functioning of the board.” BCCI had earlier approached the apex court saying there was lack of legal clarity on the status of Srinivasan who had sought to attend the AGM in Kolkata on August 28, which was adjourned. The Supreme Court has since dismissed this plea from BCCI . The meeting was postponed as the members argued over the presence of Srinivasan, who was barred by the apex court from contesting for BCCI President because of his ownership of Chennai Super Kings, which created a conflict of interest. However, Srinivasan claimed he was entitled to attend the meeting as President of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association. Click here to read the full Indian Express report. With PTI inputs