Thaindian News

New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) The Delhi High Court rapped the sports ministry Friday while reinstating the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) two years after its supersession by the Indian Olympic Association. The government should play the role of an “effective regulator” and the sports bodies should have a “degree of autonomy” to function, the court observed.
Though Indian Olympic Association itself came in for criticism for “illegally” disaffiliating the IHF in April 2008, the court’s observations on the role of the ministry might have come as music to the ears of the Olympic associstion which has been waging a battle for autonomy for itself and the sports federations.

“Sports bodies have to have a degree of autonomy with the government playing the role of an effective regulator. They must be allowed to function in a democratic manner with persons really interested in developing the game participating in its affairs,” Justice S. Muralidhar observed while delivering the judgment.

IOA and national sports federations (NSFs) are on the warpath, opposing the ministry’s efforts to fix the tenure and age limit of the their office-bearers.

The ministry Friday reserved its comments on the court order. A ministry official told IANS that Sports Minister M.S. Gill would comment only after going through the full judgment.

“He would not comment until he goes through the full court order,” a ministry spokesperson said when asked to react to the court observation that the government’s role should be that of an “effective regulator”.

After disaffiliating the IHF, headed by Kanwar Pal Singh Gill, the IOA appointed a new body Hockey India (HI) with blessings of both the International Hockey Federation (FIH) and the ministry.

The international body even made the formation of an elected HI as a precondition for India hosting the World Cup in Feb-March, but relented and gave time to hold the election after the event.