Former cricketer Azharuddin banned from contesting HCA elections

Hyderabad: Former Indian cricket team captain Mohammad Azharuddin has been disqualified from contesting the upcoming Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) elections. A single-member committee appointed by the Supreme Court of India, to manage the HCA and facilitate its election process, found that Azhar was serving as the president of the Deccan Blues Cricket Club and the HCA simultaneously till early 2023, which resulted in a conflict of interest and violated association norms.

The HCA election for various posts of office bearers was scheduled to be held on October 20.

Justice L Nageswara Rao, a former Supreme Court judge, who was appointed as the single-member committee, passed the order. He was replying to mails sent by the former cricketer in which Azhar had complained about the ‘unjust removal’ of his name from the voters’ list for the HCA. Justice Nageswara Rao said that Azharuddin’s name was removed on the basis of the order passed on July 31, 2023.

In the reply, Justice Rao wrote, “According to the order dated July 31, 2023, all the executive committee members of clubs in which a person or his family members are involved in the management of multiple clubs, have been disqualified to either vote or contest in the ensuing elections to the HCA for one term or a period of three years, whichever is greater. As you (Azharuddin) are the president of Deccan Blues Cricket Club according to the information received by the single-member committee, you have been disqualified and not included in the voters’ list.”

As per the contents of the letter, on September 30, 2023, the supervisory committee had asked Azharuddin to collect information relating to the details of all registered clubs, which are members of HCA.

Accordingly, Azharuddin sent a letter to all the registered clubs to provide information. The committee found that the secretary of the Deccan Blues Club PR Man Singh mentioned in the club details, sent to the committee on October 4, that Azharuddin was the president of the Deccan Blues Club.

In an earlier letter, dated April 28, Man Singh had stated that the executive committee of the Deccan Blues Club is an elected committee and due to the pandemic and other subsequent issues over the past three years, the club was unable to conduct any meetings and therefore the earlier executive committee was continuing.

In September 2023, the HCA had given notification that elections for the office bearers and the councillor for the HCA will be held on October 20. The office bearers include the president, vice president, secretary, joint secretary and treasurer.

In the notification signed by the electoral officer of HCA VS Sampath, it was mentioned that the list of the eligible members of the HCA entitled to vote and contest for the elections has been furnished by the single-member committee appointed by the Supreme Court and was displayed on the HCA website.