Hyderabad Cricket Association rocked by corruption scandal; CID arrests top officials

The Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) is facing a deepening crisis amid serious corruption allegations and a growing number of arrests. Investigations into financial scams have escalated in recent weeks, and the state’s CID has arrested five senior officials, including HCA President A Jagan Mohan Rao.

The Hyderabad Cricket Association is in a corruption scandal, with eight cases filed against its office-bearers. Five of these cases are still under investigation, while three are set to go to trial. The arrests of A Jagan Mohan Rao, Treasurer CJ Srinivas Rao, and CEO Suneel Kante have further intensified scrutiny.

Financial Misconduct Allegations First Surfaced in 2011

According to a Times of India report, prominent figures such as former India captain Mohammad Azharuddin, ex-Test cricketers Arshad Ayub and Shivlal Yadav, Congress MLA G Vinod, and current HCA secretary R Devraj, who is currently absconding, are also named among the accused.

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Allegations of corruption within the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) date back to 2011, when several club officials raised concerns about financial irregularities.

One of the complaints was filed in the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) court by C. Babu Rao Sagar of Sagar Cricket Club, D. Manikyam of Roshan Ara Recreation Club, and Aijaj Ali Qureishi of Shalimar Cricket Eleven Club.

These complaints accused HCA members of misusing funds and engaging in questionable financial dealings. In response, the court forwarded the petitions to the ACB, prompting the Central Investigation Unit (CIU) to file two FIRs that same year.

Hyderabad Cricket Association Under Fire for Financial Irregularities in Uppal Stadium Projects

The Hyderabad Cricket Association is entangled in three major corruption cases between 2011 and 2014, all linked to alleged financial misconduct during the development of the Rajiv Gandhi International (RGI) Cricket Stadium in Uppal.

The first FIR, filed in 2011, accused former officials, including Shivlal Yadav, Arshad Ayub, and others, of inflating construction costs from ₹30.26 crore to ₹108 crore. The complaint stated that bucket chairs were purchased at ₹910 each, nearly double the market price, resulting in a loss of over ₹2 crore.

The second FIR, also from 2011, was based on a complaint by D Manikyam and named the same group along with K John Manoj and G Vinod. It alleged misuse of funds related to stadium infrastructure, including floodlights, refrigerators, generators, and bowling machines.

Azharuddin, Others Named in ₹3.85 Crore Misuse Allegation

The third FIR was filed in 2014 by Aijaj Ali Qureishi. Arshad Ayub, R Devraj, and others were accused of conspiring to fraudulently award contracts for stadium canopies, resulting in a loss of over ₹3 crore.

Chargesheets were submitted between 2016 and 2020 in a special ACB court in Nampally, but the trials have yet to begin due to a stay order issued by the High Court.

In October 2023, CEO Suneel Kante lodged four new criminal complaints. These cases accused former HCA officials, including Azharuddin, former secretary R Vijay Anand, and former treasurer Surender Agarwal, of diverting ₹3.85 crore that was allocated for purchasing equipment for the stadium.

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