Telangana Cricket Association wants CBI probe into HCA’s irregularities; HC orders temporary freeze on finances

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court has limited the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) from making financial decisions.

In its interim order on Monday, the HC has directed the HCA not to take any financial decisions, not to take any new administrative decisions, not to sign any cheques without following due procedure, except for paying staff salaries and day-to-day expenses until the matter being heard by the bench is decided.

A HC Court bench comprising Justice CV Bhaskar Reddy was hearing a petition filed by the Telangana Cricket Association (TCA) seeking a CBI investigation into the financial irregularities of HCA.

Senior counsel Raja Sripathi Rao argued for the TCA while senior counsel J Ramchander Rao appeared for HCA. The BCCI and CBI counsels were present and had no objections to the petition.

The HCA senior counsel argued that there are no new charges on the current HCA body. In reply, Raja Sripathi Rao raised three critical facts:

1. About the present HCA secretary Devaraj being accused in previous cases, both on the ACB chargesheet, and irregularities raised out of the E&Y forensic report.

B) The present HCA president, Jagan Mohan Rao, was declared elected as HCA president, representing Sri Chakra CC, which was disqualified in 2018, by then HCA ombudsman Justice L Narasimha Reddy. The ombudsman declared Sri Chakra CC as an invalid club and ordered to reinstatement of Gowlipura CC as the original club. But without obtaining any superseding order, Jagan Mohan Rao represented Sri Chakra CC and declared elected, though he was not a voting member of HCA.

C) The bench observed and gave credence to submissions made by petitioner TCA that the HCA president, secretary and treasurer are signing cheques without valid authorisation.

He also argued that the court has issued six orders just in one week against HCA, on the petitioners filed by cricket players for illegally suspending them etc.

‘Irregularities continue’

TCA counsel also argued that the funds are coming from BCCI, hence, State investigation agencies are not effective so far. Hence, the corruption and irregularities are continuing in HCA. So, CBI would be the right agency to investigate with national jurisdiction to dig out the irregularities and related issues to punish the culprits.

The court posted the next hearing to June 16, 2025.