No bar on AGM, EGM

The High Court (HC) yesterday issued a rule upon the government and the National Sports Council (NSC) to explain why it should not be directed to restrain the current executive committee of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) from discharging its activities. However, it did not pass any order on the plea which sought to restrain the BCB from holding its upcoming AGM and EGM.

Deputy Attorney General Ekramul Haque Tutul told journalists that this effectively means that the BCB will not be impeded in holding its AGM and EGM as scheduled on October 2.

The bench of Justice Md Emdadul Huq and Justice Bhishmadev Chakrabortty issued yesterday's rule following the writ petition filed by Mobasher Hossain, a former BCB director, challenging the legality of the existing committee.

He submitted the petition on September 24 saying that the committee was illegal as the Appellate Division, in its verdict, did not allow the BCB to form an executive committee. Mobasher had hoped to stop the board from functioning any further and to foil the AGM and EGM.

Mahbub Shafiq, the petitioner's lawyer, said that the secretary of the Youth and Sports Ministry and the NSC's chairman and secretary have to reply to the ruling within four weeks.

Mahbub added that since the High Court made no mention on the subject of the petition or about preventing the BCB from holding its AGM and EGM, the decision to hold the meetings now rests on the cricket board.

Attorney General Mahbubey Alam reassured The Daily Star that there is no legal bar on the BCB as the HC did not give any stay order.

When replying to a question Mahbub said that though they raised question about the legality of the current executive committee, elected in October 2013, the ruckus surrounding the matter would now settle down through the disposal of the writ.

The current committee's tenure will expire on October 10, two weeks before the four-week timeframe, set by the HC, comes to an end.

Meanwhile, BCB president Nazmul Hassan informed that as there is no bar to hold the upcoming AGM and EGM the board will continue their procedures as planned.

"As far as I know there are no obligations to continue our procedures and there is no bar to hold our AGM and EGM in the scheduled time. So I don't see any reason to get worried," Nazmul told reporters at his corporate office.

He also added that they will take further decisions regarding the upcoming election during the board meeting.