The High Court today issued a rule questioning the legality of the National Sports Council’s (NSC) decision to remove Faruque Ahmed from the presidency of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), replacing him with Aminul Islam Bulbul.
In its ruling, the High Court directed the government and the NSC to explain why their actions should not be declared illegal. The court also issued a status quo order regarding the operations of the BCB, allowing the current board under Bulbul’s leadership to continue functioning for the time being.
The rule was issued by a bench comprising Justice Razik-Al-Jalil and Justice Shathika Hossain, following a writ petition filed by Faruque Ahmed challenging his removal and Bulbul’s subsequent appointment.
Speaking to The Daily Star, Additional Attorney General Aneek R Haque and BCB’s legal representative Barrister Mahin M Rahman confirmed that the order permits the existing board to maintain its current operations.
This legal development comes just days after a different High Court bench declined to pass any order on the same petition, dropping it from its cause list on 2 June after hearing arguments from all parties.
Barrister Md Ruhul Quddus Kazal appeared for Faruque Ahmed, while Aneek R Haque represented the NSC. Barristers Nasir Uddin Ahmed Ashim, Mahin M Rahman, and Saleh Akram Samrat argued on behalf of the BCB and its new president, Aminul Islam Bulbul.
Faruque filed the petition on 1 June, seeking to challenge the legality of the NSC’s decision and to obtain a stay on Bulbul’s appointment. Bulbul, a former national cricketer like Faruque, was elected president of the BCB on 30 May, a day after Faruque’s directorship was revoked.
The NSC’s move followed a vote of no confidence by a majority of the BCB’s board members and a review of findings from the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) fact-finding committee.
With his election, Bulbul becomes the 17th president of the BCB and only the second former cricketer—after Faruque Ahmed himself—to hold the top post in Bangladesh’s cricket administration.