Fired Kerala coach serves legal notice on state body

Vedam Hariharan, the former Kerala coach, has slapped the state's association with a legal notice claiming Rs 50 lakh in damages for non-payment of salary and unfair dismissal. Hariharan, a former Ranji fast bowler, was fired by the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) one year into his three-year deal.

"I signed a three-year contract with KCA in 2008-09 ending with the 2010-2011 season," Hariharan said. "Once the KCA chose not to honour this contract, I was left with no option but to issue a legal notice to KCA secretary TC Mathew for non-payment of salary and unfair dismissal."

Mathew, himself a lawyer, said the association was not too concerned about the legal notice and that there was no formal written contract between the KCA and Hariharan. "It was just a mutual exchange of letters, not even on a stamp paper," he told Times of India. "Basically we didn't want his services anymore."

Hariharan was originally appointed for the 2007-08 season, in which he guided Kerala to the semi-finals of the Ranji Trophy Plate league. Kerala finished fourth in the group the following season, with two wins and two losses. Kerala kick off this year's Ranji campaign against Andhra at Kannur on Tuesday.

"I was in constant touch with KCA through e-mails but did not receive any information about the future of my contract," Hariharan said. "After getting back to India [from Glasgow, where he was on a coaching assignment] in September, I spoke to the KCA secretary, who told me that a new coach had been appointed according to a decision taken by the cricket committee. There has been no formal communication to this effect whatsoever to date."

Hariharan has played 42 first-class matches, taking 114 wickets at an average of 32.06, in a 17-year career ending in 1989-90.