Suresh Kalmadi,sports top cats set to get the boot,courtesy court

The development is going to affect,among others,Indian Olympic Association president Suresh Kalmadi and secretary Randhir Singh,Archery Association of India’s president Vijay Kumar Malhotra,Badminton Association president VK Verma,Cycling Federation president Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa,Aero Club’s president Captain Satish K Sharma and Volleyball Federation president BS Adityan. While Kalmadi has been at the IOA’s helm since 1996,Malhotra is an archetypal sports administrator,heading the archery body for over three decades.

Turning down the applications of five federations that had sought a restraining order against the Centre for implementing its policy,the Division Bench,headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra,made it clear that the regulation revived in May 2010 must be put into practice.

No excuse can be adopted by either of the parties that the restraint has to be applied because the matter is sub judice when this court has categorically stated that it is not inclined to grant stay in respect of the guidelines or action taken thereon, said the court.

The PIL filed by Rahul Mehra has sought fixing the tenure of the sports administrators and more accountability in the functioning of all national sports bodies.

While Kalmadi amp; Co. had received support from the International Olympic Committee IOC and the Asian body which described the sports ministrys notification on limiting tenure as a violation of the Olympic Charter,the government had told the court during a recent hearing that they were committed to put all the terms into practice.

The regulation in 1975 that limited the tenure of the chiefs of the sports federations were put in abeyance in 2002. But by an order dated May 1,2010,they have been implemented as a decision. The IOC set the tenure limit of 12 years and an age limit of 70 for the president,and that is what our regulation also states, the counsel for the central government had told the court,prompting the federations to challenge it subsequently.

Diwali gift,says Gill

Sports Minister M S Gill expressed happiness over the decision,terming it as a “Diwali gift” for sportspersons. “I am happy to hear the good news that the honourable High Court has upheld the Sports Ministry’s order dated May 1,2010 and directed this to be strictly enforced and followed,” Gill said. “This is Diwali gift from the court to youth and sportspersons of India on the eve of Asian Games,” he added.