Bombay Gold Cup is on, says MHA secretary Kehar Singh
10 Apr 2009, PTI (p)

MUMBAI: Mumbai Hockey Association secretary Kehar Singh on Friday said the 47th Bombay Gold Cup Hockey tournament will go ahead as scheduled at th
e Mahindra Stadium despite a court order barring the MHA managing committee from entering its own premises.

“We have 1000 members and they will conduct it. Only the managing committee has been restrained by the city civil court from entering the MHA premises for three days. We will file an appeal against it on Monday and fight it out,” Singh said.

Singh also said the ad-hoc committee of the Indian Olympic Association, running the hockey affairs in the country, had asked for an explanation from him over the legal tangle.

“I have submitted a four-page letter with our lawyer highlighting the salient points of the court order. They seem to be quite satisfied (with the explanation),” Singh said, adding that the ad-hoc committee has also given the go-ahead for conducting the tournament from April 15-29.

Singh said that details of the tournament will be announced on Saturday at a press conference though neither he nor the other members of the managing committee would be able to attend it.

Civil Judge Vasant R Jadhav passed an order on Thursday, prohibiting Singh and the managing committee members from “entering and occupying” the premises of MHA in south Mumbai till further orders.

Veteran hockey administrator PS Sujlana and umpire Ranjit Dalvi had filed petition in the court alleging that Kehar Singh and other managing committee members of MHA were not entitled to take any decision related to MHA except regarding holding of elections which were due in 2007.

Dalvi and Sujlana contended that despite the earlier court order, Singh had announced that MHA would conduct ‘Bombay Gold Cup Hockey Tournament’ from April 15 to April 29.

Singh has also called for extraordinary general meeting for considering status of renewal of lease of MHA premises and ground, the petition alleged.

Singh and others have been asked to file reply to the petition by April 13.