Hyderabad: Allegingthat the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) election held on 20 October 2023 was illegal, the Telangana Cricket Association (TCA) on Monday demanded the immediate declaration of the HCA elected body as null and void. The TCA also called for the rustication of HCA’s registration by the State Government and its membership of the BCCI.

The TCA has further requested the CID and ED to investigate the role of individuals behind the alleged fraud. Dharam Guruva Reddy, General Secretary of the TCA, stated that the HCA amended Constitution of 2018 does not comply with the BCCI Constitution. He claimed that the HCA deliberately omitted the ‘Associate Member’ clause from the BCCI Constitution, thus failing to meet membership eligibility criteria. The BCCI Constitution clearly stipulates that institutions falling under the ‘Associate Member’ category should not possess voting rights. However, according to Reddy, the HCA permitted them to vote, similar to the Railway Promotion Board. He added that, as per membership rules, any representative attending an AGM or SGM should be a cricketer who has played for the respective institution and should be elected by the players’ panel of that particular institution or board, rather than being a nominated person.

As per Justice Lodha Committee reforms, ministers and government servants are prohibited from involvement in Cricket Board administration or affairs, and IAS and IPS officers are not supposed to attend HCA meetings. However, Guruva Reddy surprisingly pointed out that instead of adhering to the voters’ list approved by Justice L Nageshwar Rao committee for the HCA Election held on 20 October 2023, most institutions sent their department heads, who were IAS and IPS officers, as proxies, which he termed illegal.

Reddy asserted that approximately 23 institutions voted through individuals or officers not listed in the approved HCA voter list, citing a parallel with Jagan Mohan Rao’s actions for Sri Chakra CC. He claimed there was a list of 47 institution clubs that were under immense pressure from then Ministers in the BRS Government—KT Rama Rao, T Harish Rao, and K Kavitha—who “clearly wanted Jagan Mohan Rao to be elected.”

The TCA General Secretary stated that around 155 clubs, institutions, and district associations within HCA do not meet the compliance standards of the Justice RM Lodha Committee. He argued that if three-quarters of the HCA General Body were supposedly disqualified and did not meet compliance, HCA should not be permitted to function with such a “rotten body.”