Cuttack: Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) joint secretary Prabhat Kumar Bhol on Tuesday sought a stay on proceedings before Odisha high court in a petition challenging postponement of its elections, prompting the court to defer the matter for consideration of the plea on Sept 28.Justice M S Sahoo adjourned the hearing after OCA joint secretary filed an interlocutory application seeking a stay of the proceedings. The IA invoked Section 10 of the Civil Procedure Code, which provides for staying a suit when the same issue is pending adjudication before another court.Senior advocate Gautam Mukherjee, appearing for the joint secretary, told the court that the central issue in the petition — applicability of National Sports Governance Act, 2025 to cricket bodies — is already pending before Supreme Court. He sought that the high court proceedings be kept in abeyance until the apex court decides on the issue.The petition was filed by Lalitendu Bidyadhar Mohapatra, claiming to represent Cuttack-based Sunrise Club, challenging OCA general body’s Feb 22 decision to defer elections that were due in Oct 2025. The elections were postponed amid uncertainty over applicability of the new sports governance law.The HC has directed the petitioner to file a response to the IA, while other parties have also been given an opportunity to make their stand clear. The stay application will be taken up on Sept 28.OCA’s last full elections were held in Oct 2022. Following the resignation of then president Pranab Prakash Das, Pankaj Lochan Mohanty was elected unopposed as president in Feb 2025.Supreme Court, while hearing the long-pending BCCI matter, had on Sept 8 sought responses from BCCI and all state cricket associations on why they should not be governed by National Sports Governance Act, 2025.The apex court also questioned whether the service terms and conditions of their office-bearers should come under the new law. The issue of the Act’s applicability to cricket bodies remains pending before Supreme Court.