Pune, Nov 28: The district civil court to hear petition filed by cricketer Abhijit Kale challenging the decision of the cricket board to suspend him from playing first-class cricket. Kale had challenged the suspension on the grounds that the order of suspension issued by the BCCI through Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) was "illegal, arbitrary and bad in law". He also pleaded that he be allowed to play Ranji Trophy matches because he was officially selected by the MCA on merit.

The joint civil judge and first class Judicial Magistrate V D Kulkarni heard the counsel for Kale as well as the counsel for BCCI and reserved the order for today. The counsel for Kale, Manoj Wadekar, contended in his arguments that the suspension ordered by the board after it had received a written complaint from two national selectors Kiran More and Pranab Roy be kept on hold till the inquiry was over.
"I am not asking for a stay against the inquiry. All I am asking for is a stay against the suspension order as it is an invasion of civil rights" Wadekar argued. Kale received the official letter about the appointment of a inquiry committee and a notice asking him to appear before BCCI commissioner D V Subba Rao today at 11.05 am when he was in the court.

Kale's counsel said this itself showed the malafide intention of the BCCI that the notice was delivered to him only after he (Kale) had knocked the doors of court against the BCCI order.

Bureau Report