Why canceling Faruque Ahmed's BCB nomination is not illegal: HC

The High Court has issued a rule asking why the cancellation of Faruque Ahmed’s nomination as a BCB director and the appointment of Aminul Islam Bulbul in his place should not be declared illegal and beyond legal authority.

The order was issued on Tuesday (June 3) by the High Court bench of Justice Razik Al Jalil and Justice Sathika Hossain following a preliminary hearing on a writ petition filed by former BCB president Faruque Ahmed.

Following the order, BCB’s lawyer Mahin M. Rahman told reporters that the current board, led by Aminul Islam, can continue its duties.
He said, “The High Court has ordered to maintain the status quo regarding the BCB board’s operations. This means those currently in charge will continue to perform their responsibilities.”

Senior lawyer Md. Ruhul Quddus said, “The High Court has issued a rule and status quo order. The court has said everyone will remain in their current positions. This also applies to the president’s role—meaning the board will function as it is now.”

Faruque Ahmed’s nomination as a BCB director was canceled by the National Sports Council (NSC) on Thursday (May 29), based on an investigation report related to the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) and a no-confidence letter signed by eight of the nine board members. As a result, he was automatically removed from the position of president.

On Friday (May 30), the NSC appointed Aminul Islam Bulbul as a BCB director. Later, board members unanimously elected him as the new president of the cricket board.

Challenging these decisions, Faruque Ahmed filed a writ petition in the High Court on Sunday (June 1), requesting that the decisions be reviewed and not implemented until the case is resolved.

After a hearing, the High Court bench of Justice Kazi Zinat Hoque and Justice Aynun Nahar Siddiqua removed the petition from their cause list on Monday (June 2), allowing the petitioner to place it before another bench.

Later, the writ was filed before the bench of Justice Razik Al Jalil and Justice Sathika Hossain. The respondents in the case include the Youth and Sports Secretary, BCB, and five others.