HI elections deferred again, unlikely before World Cup

NEW DELHI

Hockey India elections have been deferred again. At the outset, it may not sound surprising as this is something one has heard time and again in recent months. On Saturday, the polls slated for February 7– which has already generated a lot of controversies — were deferred yet again after a stay order from the Rajasthan high court.

Incensed at Hockey India’s move to ignore the 60-year-old Rajasthan Association and instead approve affiliation to the newly formed ad-hoc body in its meeting on January 11 here, the RHA officials moved the court.

“Hockey India has received an order from the High Court of Judicature for Rajasthan, Jaipur Bench, passed by Justice R.S. Chauhan. The court has stayed the operation of the minutes of the meeting dated January 11, 2010 in which 30 states /union territories and four institutional/boards were granted affiliation,” a HI statement read.

“Hockey India referred the matter to returning officer G.S. Mander along with a copy of the said order and minutes. The returning officer, after taking legal advice, has directed HI to defer the elections until a final decision is taken by the Rajasthan High Court, because the entire electoral college of Hockey India has been stayed,” it added.

This is the not the first time that the polls have been delayed, but this unexpected development is bound to have serious repercussions this time around.
India are barely a month away from hosting the hockey World Cup at home, and it is highly unlikely that the elections would be conducted before the showcase event, turning the entire idea of having a unified body into a sham.

A unified body is a prerequisite by the world body FIH, but how and when that will happen now is anyone’s guess. A normal election process requires at least 21 days, and with the Rajasthan high court’s pending order, it seems a distant possibility.

The office bearers of Hockey India called for an emergency meeting and decided to put off the elections until a final decision was taken.

In the past, there have been clear indications that Hockey India, the ad-hoc body running the sport in the country, had been making attempts to bend the rules and make a mockery of the election process. The FIH, who made headlines with their bold statements sometime ago, have also been guilty failing to take strict action despite repeated delays.