NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday stalled till Monday the taking over of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) by the committee of administrators (CoA) appointed by the Delhi High Court as the Union government informed the SC that it feared the IOA could face suspension by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) — similar to FIFA’s step against the All India Football Federation (AIFF).
A bench of Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justices Hima Kohli and CT Ravikumar ordered status quo in the IOA’s affairs after being informed that the CoA led by former SC Judge A R Dave is yet to take charge.
The bench took up the appeal against the HC’s August 16 order after solicitor general Tushar Mehta sought urgent hearing on the appeal filed by the IOA and said, “As a nation we are worried with the development. The HC has appointed the CoA. The international bodies consider any management other than the elected body as a third party or outsider and suspend the national sports body which does not have an elected body in charge of administration.”
“It is altogether a different issue whether the appointment of CoA was valid or not. But with the court-appointed administrators taking over the reins of IOA, there is a 99% chance of IOA getting suspended by the IOC which would prevent Indian athletes from participating in any international sporting event, including Olympics. This is essentially a matter relating to national prestige in the international stage,” Mehta said.
The bench had very little time to go through the case papers, having taken the case up within an hour of allowing the request for urgent hearing. It recorded Mehta’s submissions and ordered status quo till Monday. The CJI said the matter will be posted for hearing before an appropriate bench, which most likely will be the bench headed by Justice DY Chandrachud which has been hearing the AIFF case.
The HC-appointed CoA for IOA comprises Justice Dave, former chief election commission S Y Quraishi and former external affairs secretary Vikas Swarup. Interestingly, both Justice Dave and Quraishi appear to have some expertise in sports management as the CoA for AIFF also comprised them and former India captain Bhaskar Ganguly.
The AIFF was suspended by FIFA, clouding the chances of India hosting the U-17 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The government has told the SC that it was attempting to break the ice with focus on not losing the chance to host the prestigious international event.
The HC bench of Justices Manmohan and Najmi Waziri in its August 16 order justified the appointment of the CoA for IOA, saying its intervention was needed to “improve the ecosystem”.
A bench of Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justices Hima Kohli and CT Ravikumar ordered status quo in the IOA’s affairs after being informed that the CoA led by former SC Judge A R Dave is yet to take charge.
The bench took up the appeal against the HC’s August 16 order after solicitor general Tushar Mehta sought urgent hearing on the appeal filed by the IOA and said, “As a nation we are worried with the development. The HC has appointed the CoA. The international bodies consider any management other than the elected body as a third party or outsider and suspend the national sports body which does not have an elected body in charge of administration.”
“It is altogether a different issue whether the appointment of CoA was valid or not. But with the court-appointed administrators taking over the reins of IOA, there is a 99% chance of IOA getting suspended by the IOC which would prevent Indian athletes from participating in any international sporting event, including Olympics. This is essentially a matter relating to national prestige in the international stage,” Mehta said.
The bench had very little time to go through the case papers, having taken the case up within an hour of allowing the request for urgent hearing. It recorded Mehta’s submissions and ordered status quo till Monday. The CJI said the matter will be posted for hearing before an appropriate bench, which most likely will be the bench headed by Justice DY Chandrachud which has been hearing the AIFF case.
The HC-appointed CoA for IOA comprises Justice Dave, former chief election commission S Y Quraishi and former external affairs secretary Vikas Swarup. Interestingly, both Justice Dave and Quraishi appear to have some expertise in sports management as the CoA for AIFF also comprised them and former India captain Bhaskar Ganguly.
The AIFF was suspended by FIFA, clouding the chances of India hosting the U-17 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The government has told the SC that it was attempting to break the ice with focus on not losing the chance to host the prestigious international event.
The HC bench of Justices Manmohan and Najmi Waziri in its August 16 order justified the appointment of the CoA for IOA, saying its intervention was needed to “improve the ecosystem”.
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