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TCA questions prolonged delay in HCA case, alleges procedural tactics to preserve status quo
Mumbai: The Telangana Cricket Association (TCA) has raised concerns over the prolonged pendency of its legal dispute with the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA), alleging that repeated procedural developments are delaying a final adjudication on issues concerning cricket administration and development across Telangana.
TCA General Secretary Dharam Guruva Reddy said the continuing litigation had left unresolved questions concerning the representation and development of cricket outside Hyderabad, despite the passage of several years and substantial proceedings before the courts.
The dispute relates to Writ Petition No. 3678 of 2023 before the Bombay High Court. In its January 27, 2026 order, the Court recorded that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had, on July 11, 2021, directed the HCA to meet representatives of the TCA and address concerns relating to the development of cricket outside Hyderabad.
The Bombay High Court subsequently directed the parties to make a fresh, time-bound attempt at conciliation and listed the matter for further consideration. The Court also considered the report of the Single Member Committee headed by retired Justice P. Naveen Rao and directed the matter to be listed again on April 23, 2026.
TCA, however, maintains that the substantive dispute remains unresolved despite the passage of time.
“People of Telangana cannot be expected to accept an endless cycle of tareekh pe tareekh while fundamental issues concerning the future of cricket in the State remain undecided,” Guruva Reddy said in a statement.
He alleged that repeated applications and procedural developments were having the practical effect of postponing consideration of the core issues.
“The judicial process is a pathway to justice, not a shelter for indefinite delay. If the substantive issue can repeatedly be kept away from final adjudication through procedural manoeuvres, the very purpose of judicial remedy is defeated,” he said.
TCA clarified that its criticism was not directed at the independence or authority of the judiciary, but at what it described as the possibility of procedural remedies being used to prolong litigation.
‘Who Benefits From the Delay?’
According to TCA, continued uncertainty favours the existing administrative arrangement while cricketing opportunities for players from districts outside Hyderabad remain a matter of concern.
The association has also referred to the Bombay High Court’s January 2026 order, which recorded the considerable time that had elapsed since the BCCI’s July 2021 direction and nevertheless provided the parties another opportunity to attempt a settlement.
TCA further alleged that the present dispute has to be seen against a broader backdrop of differences over HCA’s governance, financial administration, representation and development of cricket beyond Hyderabad. These allegations and competing claims remain disputed and are subject to appropriate judicial and institutional processes.
Guruva Reddy alleged that prolonged litigation should not become a means of maintaining what TCA describes as an entrenched status quo.
“HCA cannot be allowed to convert litigation into a permanent shield against accountability, nor should the judicial process become an instrument for preserving a disputed arrangement indefinitely,” he said.
TCA urged the Bombay High Court to consider the substantive issues at the earliest possible opportunity and bring clarity to the competing claims.
“We are not asking for favour. We are asking for finality. We are not asking the Court to decide in our favour without hearing the other side. We are asking that the dispute be heard and decided on its merits without allowing procedural prolongation to become the outcome itself,” Guruva Reddy said.
TCA said the larger issue was the development of cricket across Telangana, pointing out that the State has 33 districts and a large pool of young players seeking opportunities to participate in organised competitive cricket.
“Cricket belongs to every young player in Telangana—not to any closed circle, institution or entrenched interest. Litigation must ultimately deliver justice, not merely generate another date. The substantive issues need to be heard, tested and decided,” Guruva Reddy said.
TCA reiterated that it would continue to pursue remedies available under law and place its case before the appropriate judicial and cricketing authorities.
The HCA’s response to the allegations was not included in the statement issued by the TCA.
