Delhi HC stays IOA election

Tribune news service

New Delhi. November 30

The Division bench of the Delhi High Court has put a stay on the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) election that was scheduled to be held in Guwahati on December 19.

The bench comprising Justice Manmohan and Justice Najmi Waziri was hearing a petition filed by lawyer and activist Rahul Mehra who in his plea highlighted the lack of reforms in the IOA.

Mehra in his plea had said that the IOA reforms had been put on hold after Narinder Batra’s accession to the president’s post in 2017. Importantly, he was successful in highlighting a few of the restrictive clauses that bar the IOA functionaries numbering 184 at the moment from contesting in the elections. Clause 11.1.3 of the IOA constitution makes it mandatory that “only those members, who had held the office and were elected members in any of the preceding five Executive Council of the IOA, shall be eligible to contest the elections” for the posts of president and secretary general.

Mehra informed that the bench put a stay on the elections after the Ministry of Sports lawyers conceded when asked to respond on Clause 11.1.3 that it was restrictive. The plea will be heard again on December 2.

“There are 184 members and because of this restrictive clause only 15-20 people are eligible to contest the elections and others are not allowed to contest,” Mehra told The Tribune on Tuesday.

“This clause isn’t the only issue. Why should the age and tenure guidelines be followed only for the office-bearers and why not for everyone in the executive? They are still to implement 25 per cent seats for the athletes. Besides, the voting scheme of three votes (to federations), two (to state Olympic associations) and one (to Union Territories) is still wrong,” he added.

Mehra in his plea also pointed out that the IOA election should be held in New Delhi as it is the registered office and the only reason it was being held in Guwahati “is to attempt to manipulate the elections as well as its outcome”.