State Olympic bodies demand restoration of voting rights, but unlikely to happen

The marathon meeting at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium complex, which started around 11 am and lasted till 5 pm, witnessed some ugly scenes when a member of the Haryana state boxing association (HSBA) objected to the presence of IOA treasurer Anandeshwar Panday, who is facing charges of raping a national-level handball player, at the meeting, while apprising Justice Rao of Panday’s alleged sexual misconduct in the past. Similarly, a member of the rival faction raised the issue of an FIR being lodged against Mehta in Uttarakhand’s Gopeshwar township over financial irregularities.

There were also other instances of accusations and counter accusations by the rival groups, which threatened to defeat the purpose of the meeting for which it was originally called. However, at the meeting, Justice Rao, flanked by his team of associate lawyers, patiently heard the submissions made by the IOA office-bearers, SOAs and national sports federations’ (NSFs) representatives, sports ministry’s joint secretary Kunal and the original petitioner in the case, Rahul Mehra, to set in motion the process to amend IOA’s constitution and prepare the electoral college to hold its elections on or before December 15.

“We have heard the submissions made by the representatives and will deliberate upon them,” Justice Rao said after the meeting. On September 22, a bench headed by Justice D Y Chandrachud had appointed Justice Rao to prepare a roadmap for holding IOA’s elections and to ensure a fair and development-oriented approach for the future of the Olympics in the country.

The common refrain at the meeting was to restore the voting rights of the SOAs, while also tweaking the age and tenure clause as prescribed in the national sports code, 2011. But