SHC adjourns hearing in contempt case

Hyderabad, Sept 21: A division Bench of Sindh High Court Hyderabad circuit here on Tuesday adjourned the hearing of a contempt of court application, filed by Hyderabad Division Cricket Association (HDCA), after PCB's ad hoc committee lawyer, Usman Ghani Rashid sought time to read the petition and applications as he had not been provided the copies of these court documents.

Appearing on behalf of HDCA, lawyer Allah Bachayo Soomro claimed that he had sent all the copies of these documents and applications, filed by him in HDCA's case to PCB lawyer through courier service.

He however handed over the copies of the same in the court again. The matter has now been fixed for hearing for Oct 6 till then the position in the case would remain the same in the light of high court's order passed on Sept 15. According to that order neither HDCA's team nor PCB sub committee's side would be able to play in the national one day cricket championship, because both the teams have been restrained from participating in the championship by the court. However they could select their respective teams.

HDCA's lawyer had filed said contempt of court application against six officials of PCB sub committee for Hyderabad, SDM City, match referee and two umpires. The application which was supported by an affidavit of HDCA's acting president, was filed after HDCA's U-19 team was not allowed to play a match against Mirpurkhas division on Sept 7 at Niaz Stadium.

HDCA's acting president claimed in the affidavit that his team was not allowed to play the match in spite of the fact that HDCA had been granted interim injunctions whereby PCB ad hoc committee had been restrained from interfering in the affairs of HDCA. He claimed that match referee, Naeem Ahmed and umpires Saleem Badar and Islam Khan had also committed contempt of court by allowing sub committee's U-19 team to play a match against Mirpurkhas division despite interim injunctions, granted by court on Aug 25, and the copy of that order was shown to match referee and umpires, he added.

Sindh High Court on Aug 25 allowed interim injunctions application of HDCA, directing PCB ad hoc body not to interfere in HDCA's affairs. HDCA's lawyer had also filed a separate application u/s 151 CPC against PCB ad hoc committee chairman Mujeebur Rehman and Javed Zaman, praying the court to direct the respondents not to interfere in the selection of HDCA's senior team in the forthcoming one day tournament commencing from Sept 20.The court on Sept 15 had issued notices to the two respondents on this application.

The lawyer has yet to file a fresh contempt of court application against Mujeebur Rehman and Javed Zaman for violating the order passed by Sindh High Court on August 25.

All the contemners / respondents including SDM City Sohail Rajput, PCB sub committee members, Javed Nisar Channa, S. Abdul Aziz, match referee Naeem Ahmed and others attended the court. Director National Stadium Karachi, Ghaffar Ali Khan also attended the proceedings as a representative of PCB ad hoc committee.