BCCI allows Mohammed Azharuddin to contest Hyderabad Cricket Association polls
Mohammad Azharuddin now can contest for the position of the president of Hyderabad Cricket Association as the BCCI has made it clear that it no longer debars him from holding any position in ICC or BCCI or its affiliated units. After the decision, Azhar has also demanded fresh elections for HCA.
Last year in January, Azharuddin was disqualified from contesting for the post of HCA president after his nomination papers were rejected by returning officer and that came due to the uncertainty over whether Azharuddin's life ban had been lifted or not. The decision regarding the former India captain came to the light after HCA’s ad-hoc committee chairman Prakash Jain had sought clarification from the BCCI on Azharuddin’s eligibility for elections last January. Adarsh Saxena, who looks after BCCI’s legal affairs, had mailed the BCCI CEO Rahul Johri about board’s legal position that allows Azharuddin to participate in the election.
“We understand that BCCI was contemplating filing a review petition against Andhra Pradesh High Court order sometime in March 2013. However, we understand that BCCI ultimately did not challenge the APHC order and that same has attained finality. We understand that BCCI has not responded to the letter.” Saxena’s email read, as reported by Indian Express.
Saxena further wrote, “In the light of the aforesaid, in our view, the BCCI order no longer debars
Azhar, who played 99 Tests and scored 6215 runs at an average of 45 and struck 9378 runs at 36.92 in 334 ODIs in a career spanning 15 years, demanded fresh elections to the Hyderabad Cricket Association.
"The earlier Dr. G.Vivekanand (president of HCA) quits and dissolves the body the better," Azhar informed media in Hyderabad on Saturday.
"I reiterate that from day one everything was done in an illegal manner by the ruling group. They have been consistently violating all the guidelines of the Justice Lodha panel recommendations.
"The letters from the BCCI top brass stating that there is no bar on me from holding any posts either in the ICC\BCCI or any State Association and also the identity cards issued by the then HCA Secretary T. Seshnarayan to attend the last SGM (on January 7, 2017), are proof that the HCA president is lying repeatedly in my case.
"I am contemplating to initiate legal action against the then ad hoc panel chairman of HCA P.C. Jain and others who were involved in denying my fundamental right to contest the HCA elections (for presidentship) in January 2017 by suppressing this communication. It was criminal on their part to treat me like that," he said.