The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) will not make its inquiry report on national women’s team cricketer Jahanara Alam’s sexual harassment allegation public under its confidentiality guidelines, the board’s lawyer told reporters at the Supreme Court on Wednesday.

Jahanara, a former Bangladesh captain, had accused former team manager Manjurul Alam of sexual harassment during an interview on November 6 last year.

She had also accused three other BCB officials – Touhid Mahmud, Nadel Chowdhury and Nizamuddin Chowdhury – of inaction when she raised complaints.

Two days later, the BCB set up an inquiry panel led by a retired High Court judge. The panel submitted its report on February 2. It found two allegations against Manjurul to be true but said Jahanara’s claims against others were not substantiated.

On February 4, the BCB banned Manjurul for life from all BCB cricket activities. Manjurul at the time, was not under BCB employment and was working abroad.

The report, however, was never made public.

Asked why the report had stayed under wraps for nine months, BCB lawyer Barrister Mahin M Rahman said the board was following High Court directives on the Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) policy, which bars publication of such investigation papers.

Mahin said inquiries draw out intimate details from victims and witnesses. The confidentiality rule, he said, protects their social standing and personal data, and the BCB is complying.

The report was submitted before the POSH guidelines were fully operational at the board, Mahin said. The report had recommended swift implementation of the guidelines, and the BCB formally introduced the policy in August.

The board has also formed an Individual Complaint and Redress Committee. Its website carries a complaints prompt, and a female officer is on call round the clock for women cricketers and staff.

Manjurul, meanwhile, had challenged the ban with two separate High Court writ petitions, which Mahin opposed for the BCB. The inquiry report was shown to the judges, and two separate division benches dismissed both petitions.

Mahin said a writ petition by a female athlete on the progress of implementing the harassment prevention policy is pending, with the BCB named as a party. The board will brief the court on its steps and the inquiry’s progress.