Guwahati, July 24: Gauhati High Court today ordered seizure of all finance-related documents of the Assam Cricket Association (ACA) for the last 10 years and issued a notice to the ACA to respond to a public interest litigation (PIL), filed by former ACA secretary Sahajananda Oja.

Admitting the PIL, the court ordered the director-general of police Khagen Sharma to seize the documents within 48 hours and keep them in his custody till the court issues further orders. This was disclosed by Oja's counsel Devajit Saikia.

The court has fixed August 28 as the next date for hearing on the PIL.

Oja moved the court alleging financial irregularities in the ACA, irregularities in its functioning, non-compliance with its constitution and sought restraint on its move to hand over the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, constructed on government land and using government and BCCI money, to a trust, apart from misdemeanour by its secretary Bikash Baruah by getting a forged photograph of himself published in the media.

A division bench of Justice T. Vaiphei and Justice P.K. Saikia heard Saikia, assisted by Rajib Borpujari, and government counsel Bobita Goel before directing the police to take the step.

"The court also added DGP and commissioner of city police as party to the case in view of the ongoing police, vigilance and anti-corruption branch investigation into the alleged irregularities involving ACA secretary Bikash Baruah, who has himself admitted through a media clarification in today's newspapers that he was questioned about irregularities in his service with the state agriculture department," Saikia said.

The state government's revenue department and the BCCI are parties to the case.

"My client has also sought the court to order the ACA to remove Baruah from the secretary's post in compliance with its constitution's Article 29, which stipulates that anyone chargesheeted in any criminal offence cannot hold a post in the association and Baruah is chargesheeted in a forgery case," Saikia added.

On Oja's plea to the court to restrain the association from handing over the stadium to a six-member trust with absolute power over the property, the ACA governing body had rejected the idea in its meeting at Silchar last month.

Oja is a former deputy manager of the Indian cricket team.