Excelsior Sports Correspondent
Srinagar, Oct 10: Jammu and Kashmir Under-23 cricket team that is in Andhra Pradesh to participate in C K Naydu Trophy, today got a sigh relief after Division bench of Jammu and Kashmir High Court allowed them to play in the tournament by modifying the order of the Single bench of the Court that had barred it from playing.
The Division Bench of High Court today directed the Board for Cricket Control in India (BCCI) to allow the U-23 team representing Jammu and Kashmir in C K Naydu tournament in future matches. Court has also directed for re-scheduling of the match which has been cancelled, within the tournament period.
Hearing an appeal filed by BCCI seeking therein setting aside the order of writ Court whereby BCCI and others were directed to restrain from sponsoring the Jammu and Kashmir squad for participating in the tournament.
BCCI through its counsel Sunil Sethi (Senior Advocate) submitted before the Division Bench that due to the single bench order entire schedule of the tournament has been disturbed as the order is adversely and seriously affecting the tournament.
BCCI has organized the national level tournament and first match cricket team representing JKCA was scheduled to be held on October 8 but due to the order passed by the single bench on October 4, the said match has been cancelled.
“Meanwhile impugned order is modified to the extent that the team of J&K would be permitted to participate in the Cricket tournament”, Division bench of Chief Justice Badar Durrez Ahmad and Justice Alok Aradhe directed.
Court observed that this order is being passed as the contentions raised in the writ petition that son of the Chief Selector or Selector has been selected instead of petitioner while fact of the matter is the selectee whose selection has been questioned is not any kind of relative to Chief Selector.
Court also observed that if one person has been selected wrongly then petitioner could have prayed for restraining the said person for playing in the tournament and not for the whole team.
It may be mentioned here that Hisham Saleem son of Dr Saleem-ur-Rehman, Director Health Services Kashmir approached the Court as he was not selected for the CK Naydu trophy.
Justice Ali Mohammad Magrey of the High Court in his order (dated 04-10-2017) had directed the JKCA to restrain itself from sponsoring the squad for participating in CK Naydu Trophy under-23 till next date of hearing (October 25).
J&K was playing Goa at Guntur in Hyderabad, AP, on October 8 and Goa had scored 23 with one wicket down when match was stopped by the referee of the mach who handed over Jammu and Kashmir High Court’s order copy to the manager of Jammu and Kashmir Cricket team and stopped the match.
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