Azharuddin launches challenge after his name was removed from HCA voters’ list

Interestingly, Deccan Blues Cricket Club secretary PR Man Singh — the manager of the 1983 World Cup-winning Indian team — admitted in a chat with South First that Azharuddin had “orally” agreed to become the club’s president in 2019 for a four-year term.

Azharuddin, 60, was apparently found to be in a conflict of interest following the discovery of his name appearing as an office-bearer of a club affiliated to the HCA while he already was a voter by virtue of being a former international cricketer.

Azharuddin became the HCA president in 2019 for a three-year term. In August, in an interview with South First, he said that he would run for the HCA top post again whenever the elections were held.

The HCA has been in a mess following rampant infighting, and the Supreme Court appointed a single-member committee — of retired Supreme Court judge L Nageswara Rao — this February to facilitate elections after sorting out the contentious issues.

One of the major issues pertained to some people managing or owning multiple clubs affiliated with the HCA.

Azharuddin, who doesn’t own or manage a club, has been staunchly opposing people who manage multiple clubs and thus form a coterie that manages elections. This opposition led to even Azharuddin’s supporters, who manage multiple clubs, going against him.

When South First tried to contact Azharuddin, he was unreachable.

Interview: I will contest HCA election, says Mohammed Azharuddin

‘Forged document’

Justice Rao, following an in-depth inquiry into the brazen and blatant conflict of interest in the HCA, in July barred the errant office-bearers of 57 affiliated clubs from either voting or contesting in the upcoming HCA elections.

Azharuddin was not among those barred at the time, as the “discovery” of him being president of Deccan Blues was probably not made until then.

Azharuddin came to know about his disqualification officially when the electoral officer VS Sampath declared the voters’ list on 30 September.

Why Azharuddin’s conflict of interest was not discovered in July is one of the biggest questions being asked by the former cricketer’s camp.

Rattled, Azharuddin complained to Justice Rao, who in a reply to him dated 3 October, said that he had been disqualified and excluded from the voters’ list “on the basis of the order passed by me on 31.07.2023”.

Justice Rao told Azharuddin: “You are the president of Deccan Blues Cricket Club according to the information received by the single-member committee.”

Interestingly, while Justice Rao has pointed out that Azharuddin’s disqualification was on the basis of his July order, he did not specifically mention the three crucial words — conflict of interest — in his 437-word reply, leading to people indulging in all sorts of inferences.

Interview: I was opposed for initiating reforms at HCA, says Azharuddin

Questions raised

The Azharuddin camp is alleging that the former India captain never agreed, or gave his consent, to become president of the Deccan Blues. “It is not true,” said Man Singh.

Azharuddin’s supporters further asked: “Even assuming that Azharuddin agreed to become president, where is the proof in writing of his giving the consent? Such things are not done without getting proper consent.”

Man Singh, however, admitted there was no written proof of Azharuddin’s consent. “Earlier, Ghulam Ahmed, former India captain, was president of Deccan Blues. We made Azharuddin president of Deccan Blues to honour him. I told Azharuddin that we are making him our president. He said, ‘Theek hai’. Now, everything is not always in writing, isn’t it? It was all oral,” Man Singh told South First.

When Deccan Blues sent the details of the club to the HCA, in a letter dated 4 October and signed by Man Singh, the lone mention of Azharuddin’s name was on top of the letterhead.

Elsewhere in the one-page letter, which Azharuddin is calling a “forged letter”, there was no specific mention of his name as the club president. Justice Rao took note of the letterhead and omitted his name from the HCA voters’ list.

Those in the Azharuddin camp are raising several other pointed and pertinent questions.

They are specifically pointing to a document of the Registrar of Societies of Hyderabad, dated 24 March, 2021, in which Deccan Blues has shown the changes made to its office-bearers. It shows G Satyapal Reddy as the “incoming” president, replacing Vikram Man Singh, son of Man Singh.

If this Registrar of Societies document is indeed authentic, it contradicts what Man Singh told South First on Saturday: “Azharuddin was made president of Deccan Blues for four years — from 2019 to 2023.”

If Azharuddin was appointed president until 2023, how come G Satyapal Reddy was shown as the “incoming” president on 24 March, 2021?

Moreover, Azharuddin’s name is not seen in this document, which is being cited by his camp as “proof” that his name was never mentioned in the official records of the Registrar of Societies as Deccan Blues president.

Related: Justice Rao bars officials of 57 clubs from HCA elections

Police complaint

Azharuddin has filed a police complaint in Hyderabad in this regard. By the evening of Saturday, 7 October, he had approached the Supreme Court on the matter, which is now listed for hearing on Monday.

In his police complaint, filed in the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Police (North Zone) Hyderabad, on 4 October, a day after receiving the reply from Justice Rao, Azharuddin sought “necessary action” against the “forged letter” written by Deccan Blues.

“In the course of a certain enquiry conducted by the Supervisory Committee appointed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India in SLP 6779/2021, a member club, Deccan Blues Cricket Club, submitted a forged letter head that mentioned my name as president of Deccan Blues Cricket Club. The letter dated 4th October 2022 has been signed by Sri PR Man Singh, secretary of Deccan Blues Cricket Club,” said Azharuddin in his complaint.

“Further, during the course of a second inquiry conducted by Sri. L. Nageswara Rao, former judge, Supreme Court of India, who was appointed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India in SLP 6779/2021, the said Deccan Blues Cricket Club submitted the same forged letter head on 28th April 2023, which reflects my name as president of Deccan Blues Cricket Club. The records available with the Registrar of Societies [Hyderabad] show that the president of Deccan Blues Cricket Club is G Satyapal Reddy,” he added.

Azharuddin also said that due to this his name has been removed from the voters’ list, though a final voters’ list was scheduled to be released sometime on Saturday.

“I submit that I was not informed, my consent was not taken and I am not aware of my election as president of Deccan Blues Cricket Club,” stressed Azharuddin. “I request you to take necessary action under Section 463 IPC against Deccan Blues Cricket Club for causing injury to my rights and harm to my reputation by their act of creating the forged letter head and submitting the same as a legal document in an enquiry.”

He has maintained all through that he had never been an office-bearer of any club, nor did he own a club.

South First Q&A: Azharuddin defends HCA tenure

Landmark order

On 31 July, 2023, Justice Rao passed a landmark 46-page order barring office-bearers of 57 affiliated clubs from contesting/voting in the upcoming HCA elections.

He wrote his order after a thorough inquiry into the multiple ownership of HCA-affiliated clubs by certain individuals and various members of some families.

In his order, Justice Rao found that Man Singh was the office-bearer of four different clubs, and barred him from voting or contesting in the upcoming HCA elections.

“Based on records and statements made in the hearing it comes forth that Mr PR Mann Singh is the president of Roshanara Recreation Club, president of Hyderabad Blues Cricket Club, president of Elegant Cricket Club and treasurer of Secunderabad Union Cricket Club,” wrote Justice Rao in his Order.

“It was mentioned in the said report that 80 clubs are owned by 12 individuals and their family members. The owners of 80 clubs form a coterie controlling elections to key posts to the [HCA] apex council,” said Justice Rao, referring to an earlier report filed by the Supervisory Committee, also appointed by the Supreme Court, and from which he took charge.

(The writer has covered cricket for over three decades, based in Delhi. He tweets at @AlwaysCricket)