ISLAMABAD: The Lahore High Court (LHC) has set aside the judgment of the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) Independent Adjudicator as well as the board’s subsequent restraining letter in the Islamabad cricket elections case, restoring the original voter list and the 2023 election notifications under which Shakil Sheikh and other office-bearers were elected.
In its detailed judgment issued on Tuesday, the court directed the PCB to ensure strict and transparent compliance with its regulations in all future election processes.
The ruling came in a petition filed by Shakil Sheikh, who challenged the adjudicator’s order and the PCB’s restraining letter that barred him from functioning as the elected president of the Islamabad Regional Cricket Association (RCA).
During the proceedings, the PCB argued that its internal rules and regulations were non-statutory in nature and therefore beyond the constitutional writ jurisdiction of the court under Article 199.
The court, however, rejected the objection, observing that the PCB operates under a federal statutory framework, namely the Sports (Development and Control) Ordinance, 1962. It further noted that the PCB’s 2014 Constitution was officially published in the Gazette of Pakistan, giving it statutory status.
The LHC held that the PCB functions as a statutory body and that its actions are subject to judicial review when found to be arbitrary or unlawful. Consequently, the court restored the electoral status of the office-bearers elected in 2023 and stressed the need for transparency and adherence to regulations in future PCB election frameworks.
It is worth mentioning here that Islamabad Regional Cricket Association is heading towards fresh elections following the expiry of tenure of the tenure of its office bearers.
