Hyderabad: An attempt by some office-bearers of the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) to make the cricketing body pay for legal expenses, arising out recent court orders, was foiled by other members. The members asked the office-bearers to honour the court orders and pay the expenses from their personal income.The expenses stem from a Telangana High Court order for the recovery of certain expenses from the personal accounts of HCA officials. The expenditure relates specifically to the controversial appointment of staff and coaches, including former India cricketer B.K. Venkatesh Prasad as consultant.The HCA leadership sought to justify using the cricket body’s funds to pay the legal costs. During the 87th annual general meeting (AGM) of the cricket association here on Sunday, HCA president Jaganmohan Rao refused to pay the legal expenses from his personal accounts — as ordered by the High Court — and argued that since they (office-bearers) work for the cause of cricket, the association should bear these expenses. The controversy also extends to the “Visaka arbitration case,” where the High Court dismissed the HCA’s appeal and upheld an arbitral award of approximately Rs.26 crore in favour of Visaka Industries.The members, including joint secretary T. Basava Raju and former secretary Sheshu Narayan, criticised the wasteful expenditure of around Rs.8 crore from cricket development funds on legal battles during 2023-24. They emphasised that instead of prolonging court cases, the HCA should clear its dues and seek fresh sponsorships to generate funds.The AGM also revealed questionable financial decisions by the HCA bosses. They distributed Rs.5 lakh each to cricket club members as a “Cricket Development Fund,” totaling nearly `10 crore, a move that quelled dissent since it benefited all members.However, P.L. Srinivas, representing an institutional cricket club, opposed this practice, demanding equal treatment for all clubs in fund allocation and payment, including institutional clubs.The AGM received the names for appointments to positions in various committees, including cricket advisory, junior and women selection, leagues, and umpire committees that come with hefty honorariums.Sheshu Narayan argued that, similar to the practice followed in the BCCI, HCA should not pay honorariums to committee members but only cover travel and miscellaneous expenses.Sources said the HCA bosses also suppressed dissent by denying members the opportunity to raise issues, which were listed in the AGM agenda, which effectively silenced the opposition voices.The HCA leadership’s attempt to misuse the AGM to legitimise covering personal legal liabilities with association funds, distribute development funds selectively to mute opposition, and financially benefit committee members exposed deep-rooted governance issues and financial irregularities, drawing sharp criticism from few members.
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