The Appellate Division on Monday cleared the way for the Bangladesh Cricket Board to hold its forthcoming election using councillor nominations solely from ad-hoc committees.
Justice Farah Mahbub, chamber judge of the Appellate Division, stayed a High Court order that had earlier halted the BCB president鈥檚 directive.
The High Court鈥檚 order had paused the enforcement of a letter requiring district and divisional sports associations to nominate councillors from ad-hoc committees.
With the Appellate Division鈥檚 stay in place, the BCB鈥檚 letter stands valid 鈥� allowing only nominations from ad-hoc committee members for the October 6 election.
Earlier on the same day, at around 3:00pm, the High Court vacation bench of Justice Md Mozibur Rahman Miah and Justice Biswajit Debnath had issued a 15-day stay on the BCB president鈥檚 September 18 letter.
The court also asked the BCB and the government to explain within 10 days why the directive should not be declared illegal.
That order came in response to a writ petition filed by cricket supporters ABM Monjurul Alam Dulal and four others from Tangail, Lakshmipur, Gopalganj, and Rajbari.听
They challenged the legality of the BCB president鈥檚 instruction that regional associations resend nominations if councillors were not from ad-hoc committees.
Following the High Court鈥檚 decision, the government and BCB quickly appealed to the Appellate Division, which overturned the stay and scheduled October 28 for further hearing on the matter.
The controversy began when the National Sports Council directed regional sports bodies to send councillor names by September 17 鈥� specifically from ad-hoc committees.
The BCB extended the deadline twice 鈥� first to September 18, then to September 22 鈥� after some associations failed to comply.
Former Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal, who is another candidate for BCB president, openly criticised the nomination rule.
鈥楾his is not in the BCB constitution,鈥� Tamim said at a press conference organised by district and divisional sports organisers.
鈥業n past elections, councillors were selected by the DC from among people involved in sports. Suddenly, there鈥檚 this new rule about ad-hoc committees 鈥� and it鈥檚 nowhere in the constitution.鈥�
Additional attorney general Md Arshadur Rauf and deputy attorney general Abdullah Al Mahmud Masud, representing the state in the High Court and the Appellate Division, argued for upholding the BCB鈥檚 letter.
Lawyer Mahin M Rahman appeared for the BCB, while Md Ruhul Quddus Kazal and Md Rafiqul Islam represented the petitioners.
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