Hearing on Azhar petition adjourned to August 29

A civil court in Hyderabad today adjourned to August 29 the hearing of the main petition of former Indian cricket captain Mohammad Azharuddin challenging the life ban imposed on him by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

The second additional chief judge of city civil court J Shyam Sunder Rao posted the hearing to August 29 as the interim stay granted last month by the High Court on further proceedings of the case following a revision petition filed by the BCCI in the High court was not yet vacated.

Justice Sudarshan Reddy of the AP High Court granted an interim stay on July 18 on further proceedings of the main petition filed by Azharuddin after the lower court rejected the BCCI plea for more time to file a written statement on the match fixing scandal.

The BCCI also filed an interlocutary petition in the lower court before Shyam Sunder Rao seeking removal of certain pleadings in Azhar's plaint terming them as "vexatious, irrelevant and scandalous" and sought more time to file the written statement but the lower court insisted to file the statement by July 19.

Aggrieved by the lower court, the BCCI filed a revision petition for an interim order and Justice Sudershan Reddy granted stay on further proceedings.