HYDERABAD: The Hyderabad Cricket Association’s (HCA) Ethics Officer and Ombudsman, Justice V. Eswaraiah (Retd), has ordered the removal of former Indian cricket captain Mohammed Azharuddin’s name from the North Pavilion Stand of the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium at Uppal.
The directive comes in response to a complaint filed by Lords Cricket Club, whose treasurer Somna Misra argued that Azharuddin, while serving as HCA President, presided over an Apex Council meeting on 25 November 2019, during which a resolution was passed to name the North Stand as the “Mohammed Azharuddin Stand.”
The petitioner contended that this act constituted a violation of Rule 38 of the HCA’s 2018 Rules and Regulations, which explicitly prohibits office-bearers from taking decisions that benefit themselves personally while in office.
Justice Eswaraiah, after reviewing the complaint and supporting materials, concluded that the resolution naming the stand after Azharuddin was in breach of the association’s ethical guidelines and governance rules. He subsequently directed that Azharuddin’s name be removed from the stand with immediate effect.
The ruling is likely to spark fresh debate within cricketing and administrative circles in Hyderabad, particularly in light of Azharuddin’s legacy as a celebrated former captain and his controversial stint in HCA leadership.