HCA elections: V.S. Sampath appointed Electoral officer to resolve Hyderabad Cricket impasse

Sampath, the former Chief Election Commissioner of India, was appointed by retired Supreme Court Justice L. Nageswara for the elections for HCA’s apex council.

Mr. Sampath will be assisted by a person he may choose at his discretion for the upcoming HCA elections. | Photo Credit: Nagara Gopal/The Hindu

Supreme Court-appointed single Judge Justice (Retd) L. Nageswara Rao who has been authorised to resolve the impasse in the Hyderabad Cricket Association has appointed former Chief Election Commissioner of India V.S. Sampath as the Electoral Officer.

“I was appointed by the Supreme Court on February 14, 2023, to ensure fair and proper elections are conducted to the Apex Council of the HCA and to administer the affairs of the Association,” Justice Rao stated in a letter dated August 7.

“According to Rule 33 of the HCA Rules and Regulations, 2018, the Apex Council shall appoint an Electoral Officer who shall be a former member of the Election Commission of India.”

“As I have been asked to administer the affairs of the HCA in place of the Apex Council, I appoint Mr V.S. Sampath, former CEC, Government of India, as the Electoral Officer for the elections to the Apex Council of the HCA,” the letter read.

“Mr. Sampath will be assisted by a person he may choose at his discretion. In the event of a complaint being filed for the exclusion of a member from the electoral college on the basis of conflict of interest, Mr. Sampath shall have the authority to decide the dispute for exclusion of the said member from the electoral college in consonance with my decision dated July 31, 2023 relating to the issue of the conflict of interest” he said.