HC orders HCA to pay clubs, slams Rs 68 cr payout to Visaka

Hyderabad: Telangana high court has directed the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) to immediately comply with its ombudsman’s binding order and disburse outstanding cricket development funds of ₹3 lakh per annum to private affiliated clubs within eight weeks.Passing the order, Justice Nagesh Bheemapaka came down heavily on the HCA’s financial priorities, noting that while the association promptly released over ₹68.73 crore to a private commercial entity, Visaka Industries Limited, it withheld modest, long‑pending development funds from its own member clubs.“This disparate treatment was manifestly arbitrary, discriminatory and a clear violation of the equality clause under Article 14 of the Constitution, especially since the HCA discharges public functions and exercises pervasive control over cricket in the state,” the judge observed.Allowing a writ petition filed by Mahmood Cricket Club, the court ordered the HCA to clear arrears of ₹27 lakh, covering nine financial years from 2017‑18 to 2025‑26. The court noted that the ombudsman’s May 2025 order was a final quasi‑judicial determination that the HCA neither challenged nor complied with for nearly 10 months.The petitioner argued that the HCA general body had resolved in 2015 to grant ₹3 lakh annually to private clubs for cricket promotion and equipment.

“While paid initially, the HCA stopped disbursements from 2017‑18 onwards,” the club contended.Opposing the plea, the HCA claimed that funding depended on BCCI grants and internal policies beyond judicial review. It further argued, “It unfairly included the Covid‑19 pandemic period when cricket activities were limited.”Rejecting these defences, the court held that the 2015 resolution contained no such restrictions and ordered immediate compliance with the ombudsman’s directive.