Hyderabad: Mohammed Azharuddin, the former captain of the Indian cricket team and ex-president of the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA), addressed allegations of misusing HCA funds on Thursday, following the filing of an FIR against him. He categorically dismissed the accusations as ‘false and motivated’.
I have seen news reports that have reported that FIR's have been registered against me on complaints by CEO, HCA.
I want to state that these are all false & motivated allegations & I am in no way connected with the allegations.
I will reply to the motivated allegations against…— Mohammed Azharuddin (@azharflicks) October 19, 2023
According to the claims, Azharuddin, who was recently disqualified from participating in the HCA elections due to rule violations, is alleged to have redirected funds to private entities, ostensibly for supplying materials to the HCA.
The purported misappropriation of HCA funds, spanning from March 2020 to February 2023, was reportedly discovered during a forensic audit conducted by an external firm. The audit asserts that the mishandling of funds occurred in the procurement of gym equipment, cricket balls, fire extinguishers, and bucket seats.
In response to the alleged financial irregularities, HCA CEO Suneel Kante Bose filed a complaint against Mohammed Azharuddin and other former office bearers of the HCA.
Upon being informed of the allegations, Mohammed Azharuddin took to his social media platform (previously Twitter) and stated that he would address the ‘motivated’ accusations in due course. He additionally remarked, “This is merely an attempt by my adversaries to tarnish my reputation.”
Meanwhile, there are indications that the Congress party might nominate P. Vishnuvardhan Reddy, son of former Congress leader P. Janardhan Reddy, as their official candidate for the Jubilee Hills Assembly constituency, potentially replacing Azharuddin.
This shift is reportedly in response to the criminal cases registered against Azharuddin in the wake of the HCA controversy. Despite his recent desire to contest the upcoming Telangana Assembly elections for Congress in the Jubilee Hills constituency, Azharuddin’s political future appears uncertain in light of these developments.
