Life member questions allotting of PCA membership to relatives

After a series of resignations by secretaries in recent times, another political storm is brewing in the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA). A life member, who is also a former first-class cricketer, has written to the ombudsmen of both the PCA and the BCCI, levelling serious allegations against Harbhajan Singh and other PCA office-bearers. The complaint accuses them of promoting their associates and relatives as life members of the state body.

Harbhajan was Chief Cricketing Advisor, PCA. However, it's to be ascertained if he still holds the post or not, as no information in this regard is posted on the PCA's website or available with the association's office bearers. The complainant has alleged that Harbhajan facilitated life membership for at least 15 close family and personal associates. Questions have also been raised about the inclusion of relatives of other officials, allegedly approved last year prior to the recent elections.

Rakesh Handa, a life member, claimed that several of Harbhajan’s family members had been inducted in violation of the Lodha Committee’s principles of merit-based governance. “I have provided an illustrative list of Harbhajan’s relatives who were granted life membership. He is not the only one — family and associates of other office bearers have also been added. Even more troubling is that individuals previously banned by the BCCI and ICC for involvement in bookmaking have been included in the list,” Handa alleged.

Responding to the charges, Harbhajan Singh said: “I am not aware of any complaint. If it has indeed been filed, I am confident the concerned authority will act according to the law.” In 2022, Harbhajan had written an open letter to the association’s stakeholders, alleging discrepancies and illegal activities under leadership of the then PCA president Gulzar Inder Chahal. “The crux of the matter is PCA is trying hard to induct 150 members with voting rights to tilt the balance in their favour and these inductions are being done without assent of the apex council/general body or without consulting the Chief Advisor (Singh),” he had wrote in his letter and Chahal later resigned from the post.

A PCA official confirmed that an internal committee has already been formed to examine the allegations.