BCCI Faces Heat As Objections Mount Against Daljit Singh’s ‘Illegal’ Entry In Voter List
Activists, cricket enthusiasts, and former office-bearers brought pressure over the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to remove Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) acting president Sardar Daljit Singh from its draft voter list for the upcoming all-important annual general meeting later this month.
HYDERABAD: Activists, cricket enthusiasts, and former office-bearers brought pressure over the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to remove Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) acting president Sardar Daljit Singh from its draft voter list for the upcoming all-important annual general meeting later this month. They described Singh’s inclusion as a voter as illegal, unconstitutional, and in contempt of the Telangana High Court, which placed the association under the control of retired Justice P. Naveen Rao.
Hyderabad-based activist Venugopal Parasan has lodged a formal complaint with the BCCI electoral officer, alleging that Singh’s name was added to the draft roll without mandatory approval from the HCA general body, as required under Rule 8(j) of its Memorandum of Association. No Annual or Special General Meeting authorised his nomination, the petition says.
“Singh holds office only as an “acting president,” with no legal standing, since the High Court had vested all nomination powers with the supervisory committee led by Justice Naveen Rao. “With no valid documentation, the nomination is procedurally defective and void,” the objection asserts.
The complaint demanded Singh’s removal from the BCCI voter rolls, and suspension of HCA’s vote until a lawful representative is named.
Former HCA secretary Shesh Narayan has written to the BCCI and Justice Naveen Rao, urging that the supervisory committee represent Hyderabad in the September 28 BCCI presidential elections. “Justice Rao is the right person to represent HCA and enhance its sagging image. A judge commands respect and can communicate with greater authority than a truncated body’s acting president,” Narayan said.
He also pointed to the precedent of Supreme Court-appointed ombudsman Justice L. Nageswara Rao, who was tasked with cleaning up HCA after corruption and conflict-of-interest scandals exposed by the Lodha reforms.
Observers said that if the BCCI endorsed Singh’s claim, it would amount to rewarding defiance of court orders and perpetuating administrative decay. For many, the only legitimate course is to let Justice Naveen Rao’s Supervisory Committee cast Hyderabad’s vote.
The HCA has been facing a leadership crisis for sometime. Its president Jaganmohan Rao, secretary Devraj Ramachander, and treasurer Srinivas were arrested earlier this year following a complaint by Sunrisers Hyderabad and were later booked by the CID for IPL ticket sale fraud and financial irregularities.
Though they secured bail, their exit paved the way for Daljit Singh to assume charge through a truncated council. Instead of reform, the body courted more controversy by conducting a suspect AGM, attempting to reinstate 57 conflict-tainted clubs, and backtracking only after a public uproar. A proposed special general body meeting collapsed amid High Court challenges.