THE HONOURABLE SRI JUSTICE N.V.SHRAVAN KUMAR WRIT PETITION No.26281 of 2025

ORDER

Heard Sri A. Venkatesh, learned senior counsel appearing for the petitioner and learned Assistant Government Pleader for Home appearing for respondent Nos.1 and 2. With their consent, this writ petition is being taken up for disposal at the admission stage.

2. This writ petition is filed questioning the action of the respondents in debit freezing the petitioner’s bank account with respondent No.3 bank bearing Account No.1179214000007 having IFSC Code CNRB0001179 unilaterally without assigning any reasons and in contravention to Section 106 of the BNSS and with a consequential prayer to direct the respondents to defreeze the petitioner’s bank account with respondent No.3 bank bearing Account No.117921400007 having IFSC Code CNRB001179 and direct the respondent Nos.1 and 2 to pay compensation of Rs.15,00,000/-

for such illegal action of freezing the petitioner’s bank account.

3. The petitioner is the governing body of cricket activities in Hyderabad and other Districts in the State of Telangana and the Hyderabad Cricket Team and it is affiliated member of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The petitioner association is involved in developing and promoting the sport of cricket in the State of Telangana. The petitioner is being represented by its interim C.E.O wherein he was orally informed by respondent No.3 bank that the petitioner’s bank account with respondent No.3 bank bearing Account No.1179214000007 having IFSC Code CNRB0001179was freezed on the instructions of respondent No.2 in connection with Crime No.2 of 2025 registered at Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Police Station, Telangana on 09.06.2025. It is further submitted that in the First information report, Remand report of the aforementioned Crime No.2 of 2025 would reveal that the petitioner association is merely a third party and has no involvement with the said Crime No.2 of 2025. The petitioner’s bank account was freezed on 2nd week of July, 2025 and communicated the same to the petitioner orally. The learned senior counsel appearing for the petitioner submits that the Crime No.2 of 2025 was registered by the Police Station, Crime Investigation Department, Telangana on 09.06.2025 against the office bearers of present Apex Council of petitioner association and that the petitioner is merely a third party and not even an accused in the said crime. The action of the respondent No.3 in freezing the bank account has halted the operations of the petitioner society from July, 2025 and now the petitioner’s society requires to discharge its financial obligations.

4. Learned Government Pleader appearing for Home submits that the petitioner’s association in the Memorandum of Association and Rules and Regulations, 2018 (for short ‘Rules’) under Chapter-V Management, for the purpose of functioning of the petitioner’s association, should follow the Rule 22 (2) to the extent of operating the bank account. Rule 22 (2) of the said Rules have been extracted for reference:

“22.EFFICIENCY IN FUNCTIONING:

1. xxxxxxxx

2. The bank account of the HCA shall be operated by 2 authorized signatories from out of a list of authorized signatories designated by the Apex Council from amongst the professional management who are based out of the HCA Headquarters at Hyderabad.”

5. In that view of the matter, since the petitioner’s association has to follow their own rules and the new incumbents representing the petitioner’s association names have to be noted in the KYC records, respondent No.3 shall consider these resolutions and proceedings issued by the petitioner’s association and in accordance to the same the respondent No.3 is directed to defreeze the petitioner’s bank account with respondent No.3 bank bearing Account No.1179214000007 having IFSC Code CNRB0001179, subject to the compliance of Rule 22 (2) of the Rules.

6. With these observations, this writ petition is disposed of. No order as to costs.

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