With no reply received for its first letter, FIH asks Hockey India CoA to give definite timeline for new constitution ahead of 2023 World Cup

HI was put under a CoA by the Delhi High Court in May this year after finding the federations constitution and some of the appointments to be in violation of the National Sports Code. The court acted on a petition filed by former India player Aslam Sher Khan, who had challenged the then Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president Narinder Batra's appointment as life member of HI and Elena Norman as CEO.

The CoA is led by former Supreme Court judge AR Dave, with former Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi and former India captain Zafar Iqbal as the other two members. Since that development, Batra has quit from the three posts he held simultaneously -- IOA president, International Olympic Committee member and FIH president.

After Batra's resignation, the FIH executive board has moved swiftly, asking for timelines for fresh HI elections before the World Cup in January next year, to be hosted by two cities in Odisha -- Bhubaneswar and Rourkela. However, the first FIH letter to the CoA citing their concerns went unanswered, which forced the world hockey body to escalate the matter.

"We refer to our latest correspondence from 17 July 2022, which appears to have remained unanswered from your part," said FIH in its second letter to the CoA, accessed by TimesofIndia.com. The FIH, said its CEO Thierry Weil in the letter, and the Asian Hockey Federation "would be happy to cooperate with the CoA" in order to "amend the Constitution (of HI) in line with the rules laid-down by the Government of India" so that the HI elections "can be held in accordance with the new Constitution".

That Constitution, however, will require the approval of FIH as well to ensure conformity with its statutes and regulations. The FIH is particularly