HCA apex council issues show cause to Mohd Azharuddin

HYDERABAD: The apex council members of the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) issued a showcause notice to president Mohd Azharuddin on Tuesday for acting against the interest of the apex council and thereby lowering its dignity and prestige before other state cricket associations and the BCCI. The former India captain has been given seven days to explain why further action should not be taken against him.
In the five-page showcause notice, the five signatories said, “…pending inquiry...the apex council has suspended you until final adjudication and that includes termination of your membership in the HCA.”
“The council in its meeting held on June 10 has decided after careful consideration of various complaints made by the members of the general body and also on its volition had duly deliberated about your various acts of commission and omission in its meeting held and has decided to issue the show cause notice to you according to Rule 41 (1) (b) and 15 (4) (c),” the notice stated.
One of the main complaints against Azhar is that he is a mentor for Northern Warriors, a private club in Dubai and which took part in a tournament that is not recognised by BCCI. “The fact of you being a mentor has not been communicated to the HCA at any time. It is also apparent that you have not communicated the same to the BCCI. Therefore you being a mentor of an unrecognised tournament comes under the ambit of conflict of interest as envisaged under Rule 38 (1) (iii) of the Memorandum of Association and Rules and Regulations 2018 of HCA.”
It also said that, “You (Azhar) have addressed a letter to the Secretary of HCA on December 14, 2019, requesting inter alia to inform the BCCI about your retirement from active cricket from March 6, 2000, when you had played your last one-day international match. It is evident from the said letter that you have not informed the BCCI or the HCA about your retirement from active cricket before that letter. As you (Azhar) are aware a period of five years should have lapsed for you to contest an election from the time of you informing the HCA and the BCCI about your retirement,” the notice stated.