Published: August 8, 2026 at 9:17 pm
The Telangana Basketball Association (TBA) on Friday suspended its ‘tainted’ secretary A Prudhvishwar Reddy for his alleged misconduct with girl basketball players.
The decision was taken during the Special Executive Committee meeting held on August 7 at the Telangana Olympic Association building. Joint secretary Vishnu Kumar Goud is reportedly set to take additional charge as general secretary.
A case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and under Section 75(1)(iv) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita relating to sexually coloured remarks has been registered against Prudhvishwar Reddy and the Madhapur police said the accused has been issued a notice and that his statement has been recorded in accordance with the law. Prudhvishwar is out on bail.
Investigators are continuing to collect evidence and examine the allegation, and further legal action will be based on the findings of the investigation.
It is learnt that once the case was booked, TBA president R Sridhar Reddy had written to the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) on the course of action to be taken.
The message from the BFI was unmistakable: when it comes to women and minor athletes, crossing the line, in words or actions, will have consequences.
Therefore, a BFI observer was sent to Hyderabad under whose supervision the decision was taken, said sources.
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But the POCSO case may only be the beginning. The BFI is also understood to have taken serious note of reports that Prudhvishwar Reddy personally accompanied a sub-junior team of minor girls to a national-level tournament without a female coach or female manager.
Questions involving the safeguarding of minor girls, along with complaints reportedly received from a female coach and women players, are understood to have added to the seriousness of the matter.
The matter does not seem to stop with Prudhvishwar Reddy alone. It is also reported that treasurer Chandrasekhar had allegedly used insulting and inappropriate language towards women players, who had previously represented Telangana.
Financial irregularities under the scanner
Apart from this, there is also allegations of financial misappropriation.
Four women players are reportedly yet to receive money that was meant for them after being received from the Basketball Federation of India.
Chandrasekhar is learnt to have said: “I didn’t sign it. I have nothing to do with it.”
If the treasurer is distancing himself from the financial affairs of the Association, then who was controlling them?
And if transactions were happening without the treasurer’s knowledge or signature, who authorised them, who handled the money, and who ultimately benefited?
The financial scrutiny could potentially become even more serious. Allegations are now surfacing that several crores of rupees changed hands through leagues conducted by the TBA, with questions also being raised over transactions involving companies allegedly connected to persons close to Prudhvishwar Reddy.
What began as a POCSO case is likely to turn into a wider issue of finances and how the TBA was being run.
President R Sridhar Reddy, who was kept in the dark about the administrative and financial bungling, is said to be keen to clean up the stable. “He is taking proactive moves to not only distance himself from the tainted officials but also to keep the TBA image unsullied,” said an official.
Prudhvishwar’s election was questioned
It should also be noted that the election of Prudhvishwar Reddy as the secretary of TBA itself has been questioned and a case had been filed against him.
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The POCSO case itself is taking a serious turn with the victim’s family says it is still waiting for clear answers from the police. The family has raised serious objections over the sections invoked, the manner in which the investigation has proceeded and what it describes as a lack of an independent and impartial investigation.
The victim’s family is understood to have approached the DGP, Commissioner of Police and other senior police officials, seeking intervention and an independent investigation. When a national sporting federation considers the allegations serious enough to trigger administrative intervention, the focus inevitably turns to the criminal investigation.
