Hon’ble Justice Gita Mittal delivered the judgment in the case filed by Indian Hockey Federation vice-President Narinder Batra.

The judgment is about 150 pages, the lawyers are going through them. However, a brief interaction of this writer with one of the lawyers who handled the case, ‘the court has taken a middle path’.

The court seemed to have accepted the view that tenure of the Sports Federations is a serious issue, and also held that the government has the powers to make guidelines on this score.

Government of India, a party to the case, seemed to have argued in the lines that it has no powers to make and execute guidelines to the National Sports Federations.

The court has directed Batra to approach Register of Societies for some the prayers he made in his case. While accepting some of the arguments put forth by Batra, Hon’ble judge gave six weeks for the Government of India to address the concerns articulated by Batra in the case.

On a pointed clarification from one of the lawyers, she ordered the envelope containing the result of the IHF election held in Kolkata in 2005. can be opened.

Batra filed a case in the court against the then IHF headed by KPS Gill for advancing the IHF election in 2005. Refusing to give a stay for the election, the court ordered the election result should be kept in a envelope.

Another case between KPS Gill and the Indian Olympic Association — this was against dissolution of IHF by the latter — in which JB Roy faction was supposed to intervene, was listed for hearing, but did not come up for hearing as time ran out. It is learnt the hearing is now listed for 31st March.