No legal bar on holding BCB polls on Oct 6
The Supreme Court chamber judge today gave two rulings in connection with the forthcoming Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) elections, clearing the way for the polls to be held on Monday as scheduled.
The SC chamber judge extended its earlier order that stayed a High Court directive, which halted the effectiveness of BCB President Aminul Islam Bulbul's letter sent on September 18, asking district and divisional sports associations to nominate councillors from ad-hoc committees for the upcoming election.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. It had originally stayed the HC order on September 22, and then extended it on the 28th.
The SC chamber judge also stayed another HC directive, which had issued a stay on former BCB president Faruque Ahmed's writ petition challenging the inclusion of 15 clubs in the final councillors list by the Election Commission after it had excluded them in the draft list for being under investigation by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
With this ruling, the councillors from those 15 clubs can now cast their votes in the polls, BCB lawyer Barrister Mahin M. Rahman told The Daily Star.
He also informed that after these rulings, there are no legal bars to holding the polls as per schedule.
Justice Farah Mahbub, chamber judge of the Appellate Division of the SC, passed the orders.
Earlier, former Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal and 15 other councillors had withdrawn their nomination from the elections after the voting rights of the 15 clubs got stripped away.
After their withdrawal, only 16 candidates remained for the 12 director posts from the club category. Later, Lutfar Rahman Badal and Major (rtd) Imroze Ahmed also announced their withdrawal, leaving only 14 candidates.
However, current BCB director Iftekhar Rahman Mithu, who was a councillor from one of the 15 disputed clubs, could re-enter the race as he might regain his candidacy after the ruling.
On Saturday, 48 clubs had demanded the cancellation of the election, terming it "controversial" and threatened to boycott domestic leagues at a press conference. Representatives of the disputed 15 clubs were also present.
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