Uttarakhand HC issues notice to BCCI for INR 35 lakh spent on bananas

Published - 11 Sept 2025, 09:17 IST | Updated - 11 Sept 2025, 09:44 IST

The Uttarakhand High Court has directed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to respond to a series of petitions that allege large-scale financial irregularities within the Cricket Association of Uttarakhand (CAU). The case is around claims of misused government funds, inflated expenses, and a lack of basic facilities for players.

The controversy began when Dehradun resident Sanjay Rawat and others filed petitions pointing to an audit report of the CAU’s accounts for the 2024-25 financial year. The report, prepared by an external chartered accountant, indicated questionable expenditures, including a shocking INR 35 lakh billed as bananas for players. It also revealed that INR 6.4 crore was paid under event management fees, while INR 26.3 crore was listed as tournament and trial expenses, an increase from the INR 22.3 crore spent the previous year.

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These numbers grabbed attention, particularly because petitioners claimed that state players never received the promised facilities. Instead, the funds reserved for cricket development and player welfare appeared to have been directed off under inflated expense heads.

Hearing the petitions, Justice Manoj Kumar Tiwari issued notices to the BCCI, asking the national cricket body to explain its oversight role in the matter. Petitioners accused CAU of spending crores on food and logistics, while players were not provided with proper training facilities, equipment, or support.

Meanwhile, in a related petition, former CAU vice-president Surendra Bhandari alleged irregularities in awarding the tender for the upcoming Uttarakhand Premier League (UPL) 2025, scheduled to begin on September 23. According to him, the contract was granted to a single company without a transparent bidding process. He further mentioned that since BCCI formally recognized CAU in 2019, the association has received more than INR 22 crore in funding. However, much of this money was diverted for personal gain rather than infrastructure or talent development.