How Jagan Mohan Rao ‘managed’ HCA president election

Hyderabad: A month before the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) president's election in October 2023, Arishnapally Jagan Mohan Reddy joined the Sri Chakra Club. Before that, he ‘never’ attended HCA meetings and was not associated with cricket at all. Yet, he won the election to one of India’s oldest and richest cricket bodies. Thanks to his political godfathers, the parachute candidate got all his rivals out hit wicket to become HCA president.

The election procedure mandates that while electing the new HCA President, he or she must belong to an existing qualified Cricket club and attend the HCA body meetings in the last 12 months in the run-up to the election. Jagan Mohan Reddy represented the Sri Chakra cricket club, which was disqualified, and he never attended the meetings of the cricket association.

On July 9, the Telangana Crime Investigation Department (CID) arrested five people in a forgery and cheating case related to the HCA. The arrest comes after a series of complaints against the HCA president, A. Jagan Mohan Rao. The complaints mostly related to managing his election by forging documents.

What are forgery claims about?

Jagan Mohan Rao, along with C Rajender Yadav and his wife G Kavitha— members of a disqualified cricket club—created fake documents for Sri Chakra Cricket Club by forging the signature of C Krishna Yadav, who heads Gowliupura Cricket Club.

These fake documents were used to pass off Sri Chakra as the Gowliupura Club in a bid to get Jagan Mohan Rao elected as HCA president. Jagan Mohan Rao also allegedly colluded with treasurer CJ Srinivasa Rao and CEO Sunil Kante in misusing public funds and intimidating IPL SRH officials.

They are accused of blackmailing officials over complimentary tickets and corporate box access, and threatening them with dire consequences. The case was registered on a complaint by Dharam Guruva Reddy, general secretary of the Telangana Cricket Association (TCA).

Those arrested include A Jagan Mohan Rao, president of HCA; JS Srinivasa Rao, treasurer; Sunil Kante, CEO; Rajender Yadav, general secretary of Sri Chakra Cricket Club; and G Kavitha, president, Sri Chakra Cricket Club.

Devraj Ramchander, who has also been booked, is currently absconding.

CID booked them under sections 465, 468,471, 403, 409, 420, 341 & 506 read with 34 IPC.

“C Krishna Yadhav, the current president of Gowlipura Cricket Club, mentioned that he was unaware of the fact that A. Jagan Mohan Rao, in collusion with C. Rajender Yadav and his wife G. Kavitha, created forged documents of Sri Chakra Cricket Club, which was called Gowlipura Cricket Club. They forged the signature of C. Krishna Yadav, who is the president of Gowlipura Cricket Club,” reads the remand report accessed by NewsMeter.

These forged documents were passed off as genuine, enabling Jagan Mohan Rao to gain entry into HCA and eventually become president. When these documents were sent for forensic examinations, the signatures did not match. It was conclusively proved that the trio forged the signature of the Gowlipura Cricket Club president to get a disqualified club designated as qualified and help Jagan Mohan Rao illegally enter the election fray.

Further, Jagan Mohan Rao colluded with the accused CJ. Srinivas Rao, treasurer, Sunil Kante, CEO of HCA, and others with malicious intent. They misappropriated the public funds and wrongfully restrained IPL SRH officials. They also resorted to intimidation, blackmail over complimentary tickets, and access to corporate boxes. They even threatened the officials with dire consequences.

Spotlight on officer

Petrtintenty, P Sampath Kumar, who served as the Chief Election Officer, was also the returning officer for the HCA president election. Questions are being raised about why the officer allowed the election to take place and how Jagan Mohan Rao was elected as president in 2023.

Dharam Guruva Reddy, General Secretary, Telangana Cricket Association (TCA), is the prime complainant in this case.