Court asks HI to explain its functioning
By Praveen Kumar in New Delhi
HOCKEY India ( HI) failed to get relief from the Delhi High court on Monday after the court asked the national body to explain its functioning and file a detailed reply on the election process and affiliation given to the state bodies by it.
A division bench of Justice Badar Durrez Ahmed and Justice Siddharth Mridul asked the ministry of youth affairs and sports to file an affidavit, stating as to what is its role in the entire election process of HI and also in the functioning of HI in general. The bench after hearing the submissions asked both the ministry and HI to file their replies by Wednesday.
Sushil Dutt Salwan, representing HI, argued that since the Rajasthan High court has restrained GS Mander, a vice- president of the Indian Olympic Association ( IOA), from acting as a returning officer for the election, the application filed by the Sports Ministry becomes infructous. He also submitted that the elections have been postponed now, so the matter cannot be argued further.
But the bench rejected the argument, saying that the court would look into the entire gamut of HI and its origination. “ Hockey was India’s pride and you have made it a shame. In modern India, we will not allow you to have any monopoly in sports,” observed the bench. On the other hand, Rahul Mehra, who recently filed a PIL to question the management of all the sports bodies, argued that the HI governing body is illegal as per its own constitution.
Lawyer Mehra argued the matter on the Clause 2 ( A) ( ii) of the rules of HI pertaining to the eligibility conditions for membership.
He said the present governing body of HI, which includes seven members, is illegal. “ As per the clause, once this body affiliates at least 10 or more state associations, then from that day onwards the governing body shall cease to exist. They will have no role in the federation,” said Mehra.
He also submitted minutes of the meeting dated November 30, 2009, when the governing body had affiliated 20 state associations.
The bench immediately posed a question to the HI, which then said that everything has been done according to the constitution and the guidelines laid down by the ministry.