Today, On 4th April, The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has approached the Delhi High Court challenging the rejection of its ad-hoc panel for the Bihar Olympic Association. The plea seeks reconsideration of the decision and a fresh start to the management process. The IOA’s counsel suggested restarting the procedure from the formation of a fact-finding committee. The court has scheduled the next hearing to allow the counsel to finalize instructions.
New Delhi: The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) contested in the Delhi High Court an order that cancelled the establishment of an ad-hoc committee to manage the Bihar Olympic Association’s affairs.
A bench consisting of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela issued a notice to the state body regarding the IOA’s appeal against the ruling of a single judge.
The single judge had noted that the Bihar Olympic Association was not afforded the opportunity to be heard or to review relevant materials before the decision to transfer its management to the ad-hoc committee was made.
The bench allowed time for the IOA to respond and consider restarting the process from scratch.
The bench said,
“He (appellant’s counsel) argued that keeping in view the findings recorded by the single judge, he may be given time to seek instructions as to whether the entire process can be initiated de novo by the appellant from the stage of formation of the one-member fact-finding committee. Accordingly, list on the next date, to enable the counsel to complete his instructions,”
The court also directed advocate Neha Singh, representing the Bihar Olympic Association, to consult on the proposal.
On February 24, the single judge had revoked the decision to form the ad-hoc committee for the Bihar Olympic Association and instructed the state body to conduct its elections within three months.
The state body contended that the appointment of a single-member fact-finding panel in November 2024, concerning various alleged complaints about its functioning and election process, was unilateral.
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It argued that the IOA president’s order to establish the ad-hoc committee on January 1 was not valid.
The Bihar Olympic Association claimed it was never informed of the complaints against it and did not receive any opportunity to respond.
The appeal is scheduled for a hearing in May.