The legal tussle rocking the Pakistan Cricket Board took another dramatic twist today as the interim chairman was suspended by a court order, only to be reinstated two hours later.
A judge at Islamabad High Court suspended Najam Sethi for not obeying a legal order to elect a permanent chairman for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) by October 18.
It was the second time in five months that the game's chief administrator in Pakistan had been thrown out on a legal challenge.
But, just two hours later, an appeals bench at the same court granted a stay order on the ruling until November 4, following an application from the PCB legal team.
Tuesday's drama was the latest round in a saga that has plunged the administration of the game, followed fanatically by millions in Pakistan, into turmoil since May.
Sethi was appointed in June after the Islamabad High Court threw out the then-chairman Zaka Ashraf over what it called the "dubious" process by which he was elected.
On Tuesday, the court suspended Sethi following a petition from a cricket official in Punjab province complaining he had ignored a court order to hold an election for the chairmanship by October 18.
"Sethi, by not holding elections, has disobeyed the court's order and he is suspended and all the matters relating to the board will be handled by PCB secretary," the court said.
Justice Munir Shaikh, a former Supreme Court judge, was named chairman of the election committee and was ordered to hold a vote for chairman by the last week of November.
But, soon afterwards, a two-judge appeals bench agreed to hold the order over until Monday, when the court will look at the matter again, PCB legal adviser Taffazul Rizvi told AFP.
