Petition against SC action on HCA elections to be heard in High Court

Hyderabad: Former HCA presidents Shivlal Yadav and Arshad Ayub and former secretary G. Vinod on Tuesday filed a petition in the High Court challenging a letter issued by Vanka Pratap, member of the Supreme Court-appointed Supervisory Committee, dated December 16.

It had declared as invalid a resolution by HCA members at a meeting on December 11  appointing V. Sampath Kumar, retired chief election commissioner, as election officer to conduct the Hyderabad Cricket Association elections.

The petitioners told Justice J. Sreenivasa Rao, who was hearing the petition, that Pratap has no authority to declare their resolution invalid and requested the High Court to declare Pratap’s letter as violative and set it aside..

Senior counsel E. Madan Mohan Rao, appearing for the petitioners, said no office-bearer other than its ex-president Md Azharuddin was administering HCA affairs from July 4, as they had been suspended.

The three-year term of the Apex Council had ended on September 26, 2022, and some members had signed a resolution seeking fresh elections and a few were resisting it.

Senior counsel said that around 160 members had held special general body meeting on December 11 last and unanimously resolved to conduct elections. That is where Sampath Kumar’s name was unanimously approved as returning officer. Pratap illegally and unlawfully issued a letter calling the meeting illegal and the appointment invalid. The court adjourned the case to February 7 for further hearing.