In a significant move to address what it termed a “mess” within the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA), the Telangana High Court on Friday ordered the constitution of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the CB-CID to investigate alleged administrative and financial irregularities.
The court’s directive comes in response to a writ petition filed by C. Sanjeev Reddy, president of the Safilguda Cricket Club. The petitioner alleged “continuing, recurring and systemic failures” in the governance, financial management, and general administration of the HCA.
Justice Nagesh Bheemapaka, while disposing of the petition, directed the Director General of Police to establish the SIT. The team is to be headed by an officer of the rank of Additional Commissioner of Police.
The scope of the investigation is broad, with the court instructing the SIT to register a case and probe the administrative, managerial, and financial affairs of the association. To ensure a thorough inquiry, the court granted the SIT the liberty to examine existing records, including past reports submitted by retired judges of both the Supreme Court and the High Court.
Highlighting the gravity of the situation, the court observed that the association is currently in a state of disarray due to the “kind of the mess” it is in and the “excessive involvement of vested interests.”
To restore order, the court ruled that the HCA should function under the supervision of retired High Court judge P. Naveen Rao. Justice Rao is already part of a single-member committee overseeing the association’s cricketing affairs, and his role will now encompass broader supervision of the HCA’s operations.
The SIT has been empowered to collect fresh evidence as the investigation unfolds, aimed at uncovering the extent of the alleged mismanagement that has plagued one of the region’s premier sporting bodies.
