Telangana: HCA courts fresh controversy for appointing ineligible committee members in new panels
Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA), which is mired in controversies pertaining to massive corruption charges, has taken another bizarre decision of constituting various committees that will comprise persons ineligible for the positions. The move has drawn criticism from the game’s experts and lovers, who said that this was yet another instance of how manipulation, favouritism and corruption have become traits of the current panel.
After irregularities in forming the leagues, the announcement of different committees with ineligible candidates is nothing but a quid-pro-quo kind of arrangement for personal gains, many cricketers contended.
It may be noted that the association had announced formation of league, grounds, umpires and finance committees and had appointed a chief coordinator to take care of operations for the 2024-25 season.
HCA apex council member R.A. Swaroop has written to the HCA ombudsman, listing out how persons with conflicting interests and ineligible persons have been included in the new committees. These committees are not formed as per the bylaws of HCA and rules and regulations approved by the Supreme Court. The new panels have individuals with conflict of interests.
The grounds committee included the secretary of Sri Chakra Cricket Club, which is already represented by HCA president A. Jagan Mohan Rao. Two members from one club is a clear case of favouritism, sources said.
Moreover, the previous HCA ombudsman had termed Sri Chakra Cricket Club as illegal and a case in this regard is pending in the Supreme Court.
A person who has not officiated as an international umpire nor played any first class cricket, as the bylaws of HCA’s Rule 27 stipulates, has been appointed as chairman of the umpires committee. No person can be a member of the committee for more than five years. But, this appointee is continuing for the last 15 years, Swaroop pointed out.
Former cricketer Vanga Roma Singh told Deccan Chronicle that no rule has been followed in constituting committees. The issue of forming committees and its office-bearers was not at all brought to the apex council. All important issues must be brought to the apex council but nothing comes, she lamented
Former HCA secretary Seshu Narayan told Deccan Chronicle that many persons who attract conflict of interest and do not qualify to hold the position in accordance with the SC-approved guidelines and the constitution of HCA, have been nominated into different committees. The committees are nothing but a strategy to create a vote bank in the HCA, he said.
When this correspondent made repeated attempts to contact Jagan Mohan Rao for his take on the controversial committees, he did not take the calls.