ISLAMABAD, Oct 31: A petition has been filed in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) seeking initiation of contempt of court proceedings against Najam Sethi for not vacating the office of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman in defiance to the court orders.

IHC Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui on Oct 29 had suspended the Interim Management Committee (IMC) constituted to govern the PCB affairs and also restrained “Mr Sethi and other members of the IMC from posing themselves as members and from performing any function of the PCB.”

The same day an IHC division bench comprising Justice Riaz Ahmed Khan and Justice Noorul Haq Qureshi also took up the appeals related to the earlier order of the IHC of July 2013, in which the court had ordered the PCB to hold the elections for the position of its chairman in 90 days.

After the court proceedings, PCB counsel Tafazzal Haider Rizvi told the media persons that the division bench had restored the IMC and Sethi.

The order of the two members bench was not signed on Oct 29 and the said bench comprising Justice Khan and Justice Qureshi issued the written order on October 31 (Thursday) according to which the bench did not pass any such directions regarding reinstatement of IMC or Mr Sethi.

In its order, the division bench observed that “the points raised in the appeals need consideration” and after admitting the appeals for regular hearings issued notices to the PCB, Pakistan Sports Board and Ministry of Inter-provincial Coordination.

The same day petitioner Ahmed Nawaz Khan through his counsel Barrister Abdul Razzaq Rajab filed the contempt petition against Sethi.

The petition said that Sethi after having knowledge of the restraining order willfully, deliberately and intentionally violated it and was still functioning as chairman PCB.

The petition alleged that Sethi had also used contemptuous language against this court in a TV show on a private channel.

Besides, Sethi also claimed still to be the PCB chairman on social website Twitter and also used contemptuous language on his website, saying that “there are some elements with vested interest who do not want me to hold the office of PCB chief.”

The IHC single bench would take up this matter on Friday (today).