By Neeraj Kumar
Copyright deccanchronicle
Hyderabad: Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) vice-president and acting president Daljeet Singh is facing mounting criticism from the cricket fraternity ahead of the 95th annual general meeting (AGM) of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), scheduled in Mumbai on September 28. Several activists have petitioned the BCCI, alleging serious procedural violations in Singh’s nomination.According to the complainants, the HCA bypassed the mandatory procedure of selecting its representative through an AGM or a special meeting. Instead, Singh’s name was allegedly advanced through a covert process, raising questions about transparency and governance within the association.The AGM is expected to focus on the election of the BCCI president and IPL chairman, besides other matters. Observers note that the HCA could have used the opportunity to highlight the Telangana government’s proposal to construct an international cricket stadium at Begarikancha, announced earlier by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, who indicated that preliminary talks were on with the BCCI on the project.Critics, however, highlight that the mandatory nomination of a representative was omitted from the HCA’s 87th AGM on June 29 and the adjourned session on July 19. With three senior office-bearers — president Jaganmohan Rao, secretary R. Devraj, and treasurer C.J. Sreenivas — suspended after their arrest in IPL ticket sales and corruption cases, questions are now being raised over the eligibility of acting president Singh and joint secretary Basava Raju, both accused of conflicts of interest.In an open letter to Justice P. Naveen Rao, the single member committee overseeing the HCA, Chitti Sridhar, secretary of Acrylic Cricket Club, accused Raju of fraudulent practices, alleging he was unlawfully listed as vice-president of Ameerpet Cricket Club in 2023 while simultaneously serving as general secretary of Commercial Taxes Cricket Club. Sridhar demanded his disqualification, while also alleging that Ameerpet and Khalsa Cricket Clubs remain under the control of Singh and his family, amounting to “intentional fraud.”Former HCA secretary T. Shesh Narayan separately petitioned the BCCI, arguing it would be inappropriate for Justice Naveen Rao himself to represent the HCA at the AGM. Activist Venugopal Parasan submitted a complaint to BCCI electoral officer A.K. Joti, citing a lack of General Body approval, procedural lapses, and the fact that the HCA is under a single-member supervisory committee.
