Amarnath appointed HCA president after Ombudsman's order
Hyderabad, February 3
Amarnath has been appointed as the new president of the Hyderabad Cricket Association following official orders issued by the Ombudsman.
Amarnath was the runner-up in the 2023 HCA elections, losing to Jaganmohan Rao by a single vote. However, Rao's appointment was later declared invalid due to allegations of forgery and irregularities, resulting in Amarnath's appointment as the new president.
In October last year, The Telangana Cricket Association (TCA) held a statewide meeting with representatives from its District Committees and Governing Council in Hyderabad, and formally demanded the complete rustication of the HCA and urged the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to restructure cricket administration in Telangana by recognising TCA as the Full Member cricket body representing the State of Telangana, in accordance with the BCCI Constitution and National Sports Governance Act.
TCA accused HCA of operating illegally, surviving "on ventilator support", without Constitutional compliance, an Administrative quorum, or District-level representation.
Notably, in July last year, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested the then-HCA president, Jagan Mohan Rao, and four other office-bearers in connection with allegations of document forgery and misappropriation of funds. HCA Treasurer C.J. Srinivas Rao and CEO Suneel Kante. Sri Chakra Cricket Club General Secretary Rajendra Yadav and President G. Kavitha were also arrested along with Jagan Mohan Rao.
TCA had then filed a formal complaint with the Enforcement Directorate (ED), demanding a deeper investigation into alleged financial irregularities involving Jagan Mohan Rao and other Apex Council members of the HCA.
In the CBI investigation, it was revealed that Jagan Mohan Rao was colluding with CJ. Srinivas Rao and Sunil Kante intimated and blackmailed the Indian Premier League (IPL) team Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) officials for complimentary tickets and access to corporate boxes for IPL season 2024-25.
— ANI
Reader Comments
This reads like a political thriller, not sports administration! Forging documents, blackmailing an IPL team for tickets... it's shameful. I hope the new president focuses on grassroots cricket and transparency. The TCA's demand for restructuring might actually be worth considering if the HCA is this dysfunctional.
Losing by just one vote and then getting the post because the winner was corrupt... kismet! But seriously, the level of corruption here is shocking. Blackmailing SRH officials? This hurts the fans and the players most. Amarnath has a huge task ahead.
While I'm glad a proper process was followed by the Ombudsman, I'm skeptical. Just because someone else was corrupt doesn't automatically make Amarnath the right leader. The TCA's accusations about HCA operating without district-level representation are serious. The focus should be on governance, not just a change of face.
The real story is the power struggle between HCA and TCA. Telangana state needs one strong, clean cricket body. All this drama with CBI and ED is bad for the sport's image. Hope the BCCI intervenes properly and puts an end to this nonsense. Young cricketers are watching.
Complimentary tickets and corporate boxes? That's what they were caught for? It makes you wonder about the bigger financial misappropriation that hasn't even come out yet. The ED investigation needs to be thorough. Good luck to Mr. Amarnath, he's walking into a lion's den.
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