Azharuddin barred from contesting HCA polls

Hyderabad: The Supreme Court-appointed committee has disqualified former Indian cricket captain Mohammed Azharuddin from contesting the ensuing elections to the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA).

Former Supreme Court judge Justice L. Nageswara Rao removed the former cricketer from the list of voters for HCA polls scheduled this month on the grounds of conflict of interest as he was president of the Deccan Blues Cricket Club while serving as the president of HCA till early this year.

Nageswara Rao wrote to Azharuddin that he was removed from the voter list on the basis of the order passed by him on July 31, 2023.

“According to the order dated 31-07-2023, all the executive committee members of clubs in which a person/his family members are involved in the management of multiple clubs have been disqualified to either vote/contest in the ensuing elections to the HCA for one term or a period of three years, whichever is greater.

“As you are the President of Deccan Blue Cricket Club according to the information received by the Single Member Committee, you have been disqualified and not included in the voter’s list,” reads the letter.

The letter mentions that on September 30, 2022, the supervisory committee appointed by the Supreme Court had asked Azharuddin to collect information relating to the details of all registered clubs which are members of the HCA.

In the letter dated October 10, 2022 sent by Deccan Blues Cricket Club secretary P.R. Man Singh, Azharuddin was shown as president of the Deccan Blues Cricket Club.

HCA elections are scheduled to be held on October 20. Electoral officer V.S. Sampath issued the notification on September 30 for the elections for the posts of president, vice-president, secretary, joint secretary, treasurer and councilor.

The elections were supposed to be held in September 2022 but was postponed due to court cases.

In February this year, the Supreme Court appointed Nageswara Rao as a single-member committee to manage HCA and facilitate the conduct of elections.

In July, he debarred more than 57 clubs from participating or voting in the HCA elections for three years because of conflict of interest/owning multiple clubs.

On August 7, he appointed former Chief Election Commissioner Sampath as the election officer.

Azharuddin was elected HCA president in 2019 and his term ended with Nageswara Rao’s appointment by the Supreme Court.

Azahruddin’s term saw infighting in the HCA and the warring groups approaching the Telangana High Court.

The matter finally reached the Supreme Court, which constituted the one-member committed to clear the mess. Azharuddin had already announced that he will again contest for the post of HCA president.