NEW DELHI: Holding the elections to Hockey India at its annual general meeting, as the body has proposed, would not be a transparent, free and fair process, feels SK Mendiratta, the government observer for elections to HI.

In a letter to sports ministry’s joint secretary Injeti Sriniwas, Mendiratta, who is a well-known legal expert, said the election guidelines of HI showed that it proposed to hold the elections at the AGM. “The entire election process, including the appointment of returning officer, nominations on the floor, poll by show of hands, counting of votes and declaration of results is proposed to be conducted at the AGM itself. In my view, the above proposed course of action would not be a transparent, free and fair electoral process,” the observer wrote in the letter.

Mendiratta said the rules and regulations of HI are silent in regard to the method of election and the process to be followed. He has suggested measures for the conduct of the elections, like finalising the list of members eligible to vote at least one week before the date on which the process of nomination starts, and circulated to all the affiliated units. Besides, he has stated that the appointment of returning officer should be done sufficiently in advance and HI should fix a period of not less than one day for the filing of nominations.

Mendiratta has also suggested that all nominations filed should be scrutinised in the presence of the candidates or their authorised representatives and the list of contestants drawn after such scrutiny should be published for the information of all contestants and the voters. He also said the elections should be conducted by secret ballot during specified polling hours and “the result, may however, be declared at the AGM”.

When contacted, Mendiratta confirmed that he had indeed drawn the attention of the ministry to the election process and said he would be meeting the officials of the ministry in a day or two over the issue.