LHC declines to hear Mohammad Rizwan’s plea against NCCIA inquiry

Lahore High Court Chief Justice Alia Neelum has declined to take up Pakistan cricketer Mohammad Rizwan’s petition challenging an inquiry by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) and asked his lawyer to first respond to the agency’s notice.

Rizwan’s counsel Qazi Umair Ali appeared before the court and argued that the cricketer had been unlawfully summoned through an NCCIA notice issued on Sept 8.

The agency had directed Rizwan to appear before it on Sept 10. Rizwan and fellow cricketer Imam-ul-Haq appeared before the NCCIA on that date. Rizwan later approached the high court, challenging both the notice and the inquiry.

During Thursday’s hearing, however, Justice Neelum told his counsel to respond to the notice before seeking the court’s intervention. Speaking to reporters outside the courtroom later, Rizwan’s counsel said a response to the NCCIA had already been submitted.

In his petition, Rizwan questioned the legal basis of the agency’s action, describing the notice as vague and arbitrary and arguing that the NCCIA lacked jurisdiction to initiate the probe.

The petition maintained that online betting did not fall within the scheduled offences under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016, or its amendments introduced in 2025.

According to Rizwan’s plea, the inquiry amounted to a “fishing and roving expedition” aimed at harassing him and damaging his reputation. The cricketer also expressed concern that the agency could take “coercive” steps against him, including arrest or detention.

He asked the LHC to set aside the notice, terminate the inquiry and prevent the authorities from taking any “adverse” action against him. The NCCIA began its inquiry following a complaint filed by the Pakistan Cricket Board during the national team’s recent Test series against England.