Hyderabad High Court refuses to stay HCA elections

Hyderabad, Jan 11 (CRICKETNMORE): The Hyderabad High Court on Wednesday refused to stay the elections of the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) scheduled to be held on January 17.

The court, however, directed that the results should not be announced till further orders. It adjourned the final hearing in the case to January 18.

The court was hearing a petition, filed by some officials of HCA, challenging the orders of a lower court for conducting the polls on January 17.

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The petitioner contended that the entire election process is flawed as the Supreme Court, in its judgment, had stated that the election process should be conducted by an election officer who is a retired central or state election commissioner.

A lower court had last month directed HCA to hold the elections to the apex council and appointed advocate K. Rajeev Reddy as commissioner for conducting the elections.

The last date for filing of nominations for the six posts was January 10. On the last day, former Indian captain Mohammad Azharuddin filed his nomination for the post of HCA president. However, uncertainty prevails over whether he will be allowed to contest as the BCCI has not officially lifted the ban on him, which they imposed in 2000 following match-fixing allegations. The Andhra Pradesh High Court, however, had declared the ban on Azhar as illegal in 2012.

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Former cricketer Arshad Ayub, earlier quit as HCA president in the wake of recommendations of the Supreme Court appointed Lodha committee. 

The rival group constituted an adhoc committee and approached the court seeking directions to hold the elections.