Delhi HC stays Kabaddi Federation’s elections

New Delhi, Aug 27 (IANS) The Delhi High Court on Tuesday stayed the elections for various office-bearers of the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI), slated to be held on September 1.

The court also issued notice to the Centre and AKFI seeking their response over the plea filed by A.C. Thangavel.

A single judge bench of Justice Sanjiv Sachdeva posted the matter for hearing on September 19.

Thangavel's plea challenged the AKFI's August 7 order notifying the elections, the August 16 order by which the electoral roll was published and August 17 orders by which the objections raised by him were dismissed without assigning any reasons.

The plea said these orders were issued contrary to the National Sports Development Code of India, 2011 and the elections are scheduled to be held for the Federation was contrary to the Sports Code, on the basis of electoral roll which comprises members who are not qualified to be a part of the electoral college.

"The Sports Code requires sports bodies to be democratically governed by ensuring that its governing body is representative, and not a mere perpetuation of a particular person or set of persons.

"However, the Federation, by holding elections with an electoral college comprising of various persons who are holding office in member state federations contrary to the mandate of the Sports Code beyond the maximum prescribed tenure and age, is permitting and perpetuating violation of the Sports Code," the plea said.

Thangavel, represented through advocates Rahul Mehra and R Arunadhri Iyer, said that the division bench of the Delhi High Court in its August last year judgement had expressed grave concern at the undemocratic and illegal manner in which the Federation was controlled by members of one particular family for over three decades without any elections and by subversions of the provisions of the Constitution and in utter disregard of the sport of kabaddi, the sportspersons and aspirants.