HCA election process is in the right spirit, HC told

The ad hoc committee of the Hyderabad Cricket Association has told the Hyderabad High Court that the election process was in the letter and spirit of the judgement of the Supreme Court.

In a counter affidavit filed before the court, ad hoc committee chairman Prakash Chand Jain alleged that the former office–bearers of the HCA had dishonored an undertaking given to the High Court with regard to holding the election.

He said that former HCA honorary secretary John Manoj, who had moved a revision petition seeking a stay on the election, was one of the signatories of an undertaking filed before the court with regard to holding the election.

Mr Jain said the HCA general body meeting, which was presided over by then association president Arshad Ayub on November 20, 2016, had declared that the committee had ceased to exist as per the criteria declared by the Supreme Court.

Mr Jain said following the report submitted by the Justice R.M. Lodha committee, the Supreme Court had issued several directions to the BCCI and its affiliated state associations including the HCA. The present election process was as per the letter and spirit of the apex court judgement; the earlier HCA managing committee was supposed to conduct the election in the timeline indicated by the Lodha committee, Mr Jain said.

He said that the contention of the petitioner that the amended byelaws of the HCA had been registered by the Registrar of Societies was not true. The Registrar of Societies had returned the amendment, Mr Jain said.

He said that it was not true to say that there was fraud in the process, and it was uncharitable to pass such remarks in an unsportive manner regarding a sports body.

He contended that the revision petition was not maintainable.

In a counter affidavit filed before the court, ad hoc committee chairman Prakash Chand Jain alleged that the former office–bearers of the HCA had dishonored an undertaking given to the High Court with regard to holding the election