HCA in suspended animation

Hyderabad: Hyderabad Cricket Association ombudsman  & ethics officer Justice (Retd) L. Narsimha Reddy has set January 27 and 31 as dates to hear cases pertaining to suspended secretary T. Sheshnarayan and former Indian cricket captain Mohammad Azharuddin.

On Monday, HCA offices at Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Uppal resembled a mini court with the aggrieved parties being accompanied by a battery of advocates, numbering more than a cricket team — 13.

Shesh is contesting his suspension by the HCA Apex Council saying they did not have the grounds. It is learnt that no meeting of the Apex Council should be convened nor any policy decision taken till the matter is disposed of. That would mean the HCA is in suspended animation.

Separately dealing with a batch of complaints alleging discrepancies in the Association filed by Azharuddin, former Test cricketer as well as HCA president, former secretary John Manoj and other members, Justice Reddy decided to hear them collectively on the last day of the month.

Enquiry on representation (contentious) cards issued to members to attend the acrimonious Special General Meeting held on January 7 will also be taken up at the hearing.

Whether due process was followed before the cards were signed and why some were not initially allowed into the SGM despite holding these cards will be deliberated, it is learnt.

A bitter battle has broken out in the HCA between the ruling and opposition camps with Shesh’s suspension adding a new twist to the tangle that has triggered fresh alignments in the rough game.