Supreme Court gave us power only to supervise management of HCA affairs, says committee members

Justice Kakru also mentioned that the Supreme Court has empowered the Committee to inquire into the rival allegations of the stakeholders but such empowerment doesn’t provide for stalling the process of election to HCA.

Representative Image: “Stalling process of election is unrelated to the responsibilities and duties of the Supervisory Committee,” Justice Kakru said. | Photo Credit: GETTY IMAGES

Justice Nisar Ahmed Kakru, former Chief Justice of Andhra Pradesh High Court and chairman of the Supreme Court-appointed four-member panel to supervise the management of the affairs of Hyderabad Cricket Association, stated that the Supreme Court has empowered the Committee to supervise the management of the affairs of the HCA but not to manage the affairs of the HCA.

The other members of the panel are Mr. Anjani Kumar, DGP, former cricketers S.L. Venkatapathi Raju and Vanka Pratap.

Justice Kakru also mentioned that the Supreme Court has empowered the Committee to inquire into the rival allegations of the stakeholders but such empowerment doesn’t provide for stalling the process of election to HCA.

“Stalling process of election is unrelated to the responsibilities and duties of the Supervisory Committee,” he said.

“In my view, thwarting an election process which is overdue is a sheer abuse of power, therefore, not within the competence of the Supervisory Committee,” Justice Kakru said.

In a letter addressed to the committee members and dated 13-1-2023, Justice Kakru wrote that authorising a member of the committee to be a part of the management of the HCA is patently in violation of the order supra.

“It is, therefore, unimaginable to have authorised Mr. Vanka Pratap to be part of the management of the one-day international, which is scheduled on January 18 (India vs New Zealand). More so, I am not a party to any decision of the Supervisory Committee authorising Mr Vanka Pratap to be part of the management of HCA,” he said.

“Had he not concocted a story of my unavailability in physical meetings, it would be between him and the honourable Supreme Court but to find a way to usurp the powers of the Supervisory Committee, he has erroneously accused me of my absence in the meetings. I believe it is high time for Mr. Vanka Pratap to go for a conscious and a conscientious self-introspection,” Justice Kakru wrote in the letter.

“Right from day one, I have been pleading for publicising the proceedings of the committee, which is evident from my note dated 28-10-22 and my representation dated 24-11-2022, besides minutes of the meetings, but it wasn’t carried through,” the chairman said.