Hyderabad: The Telangana Cricket Association (TCA) has sought an immediate clarification from the Telangana Director General of Police (DGP) on the status of investigations into alleged financial irregularities in the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA), particularly those relating to the recently conducted TG20 event.
TCA General Secretary Dharam Guruva Reddy said the CID had submitted a brief status report before the State Lokayukta, raises serious questions about the extent to which the Court-appointed Single Member Committee (SMC) is exercising its powers in matters concerning criminal investigations.
The TCA said that, as per the CID Status Report in response to the Lokayukta proceedings, a detailed report was sought by September 29. According to TCA’s reading of the report, the CID indicated that it had not been able to proceed with certain aspects of its investigation concerning alleged financial irregularities in the HCA, including matters connected with the TG20 event, because of the position taken by the SMC.
“Here is the documentary evidence. We are not making a claim based merely on hearsay. The CID’s communication to the Lokayukta raises a fundamental question: can a Court-appointed administrative mechanism prevent or delay a statutory investigating agency from discharging its lawful duties?” Guruva Reddy asked.
He, however, stressed that the TCA was seeking clarification from the competent authorities rather than prejudging the outcome of any investigation. “If there is a legal or judicial basis under which the SMC is entitled to withhold permission, consent or clearance for a CID or ACB investigation, the DGP and the concerned authorities should place that position on record. If there is no such legal impediment, then the investigating agencies must be allowed to perform their statutory functions independently,” he said.
The TCA further questioned the status of the directions concerning investigation into allegations pending against the HCA. Guruva Reddy pointed out that the High Court had directed the State DGP to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to examine allegations concerning the HCA.
“The question is simple: if such a direction has been issued, why has the SIT not been constituted? What is the present status of that direction? Has it been implemented, and if not, what is preventing its implementation?” he asked.
The TCA has therefore demanded that the respected DGP clarify: “whether any direction, order or communication from the SMC has affected the CID or ACB’s ability to initiate, reopen or pursue investigations concerning the HCA,” if such restrictions exist, under what legal authority they operate; and “what steps are being taken to ensure that any investigation into alleged financial irregularities proceeds independently and in accordance with law.
Guruva Reddy said the TCA’s objective was not to interfere with the functioning of either the judiciary or investigating agencies, but to ensure transparency, institutional accountability and public confidence in the administration of cricket in Telangana.
“When allegations involving public or cricketing funds are raised, the appropriate course is neither to presume guilt nor to suppress investigation. The allegations should be examined by the competent statutory authorities, and the facts should be established through due process,” he said. He added that the issue had wider implications for the credibility of cricket administration in Telangana. “If investigative agencies themselves are unable to proceed because of uncertainty over their mandate, the stakeholders naturally begin to lose confidence. Parents of aspiring cricketers, players, coaches and other stakeholders should not be left wondering whether institutional disputes are coming in the way of transparent administration,” Guruva Reddy said.
The TCA also urged the competent authorities to clarify the position at the earliest and ensure that all allegations, wherever legally maintainable, are dealt with through due process, without favour or prejudice. “Our demand is for an investigation, not a predetermined conclusion. Let the competent agency investigate, let the evidence speak, and let the law take its course. That alone can restore confidence among the cricketing fraternity in Telangana,” Guruva Reddy said.
