Thaindian News

New Delhi, July 20 (IANS) In a set-back for the sports ministry, the returning officer for Hockey India (HI) elections Tuesday allowed the national body’s interim president Vidya Stokes to contest the July 28 elections.
HI secretary general Narinder Batra informed the returning officer R.C. Chopra that they are not going to follow the election guidelines set by sports ministry as they are not looking for government grants.

Government observer S. Mendiratta informed the sports ministry joint secretary Injeti Srinivas that HI, which is registered under Societies Registration Act, will follow their by-laws for the elections.

The sports ministry is now waiting for the Annual General Meeting (AGM) slated for July 28.

Talking to IANS, Srinivas said: “The returning officer was told about the HI constitution by officials, who are not elected members. We have taken note of it. It is now for the AGM to decide what they want. If they don’t want to follow our guidelines for the elections then we will de-recognise Hockey India.”

During the scrutiny former India captain and Olympian Pargat Singh, a candidate for the president’s post, objected to the nomination of Stokes, who is well above the maximum age of 70 set by the ministry.

Stokes, who was not present during the scrutiny, was represented by HI secretary Narinder Batra and her legal counsel. Batra, who is also contesting for the post of secretary general, informed the returning officer and Stokes couldn’t turn up due to heavy rains in the city.

“Pargat Singh objected to the nomination of Vidya Stokes on the ground that she was above the age of seventy and, accordingly, could not stand for election to the post of president, as per the guidelines of the government. Narinder Batra admitted that Stokes was above the age of seventy, but countered the objection of Shri Pargat Singh and his counsel stating that the elections to the Hockey India were to be held in accordance with the constitution and by-laws of Hockey India, which is a registered society under the Societies Registration Act and that there was no age limit,” Mendiratta wrote in his letter to Srinivas.

“They (HI) further submitted that the guidelines of the sports ministry were only meant to be followed by those sports federations, which were seeking financial aid and other facilities from the government and that those guidelines were not applicable to such sports federations as were not soliciting any such grant or facility. Both of them categorically made a statement before the returning officer that the Hockey India was not asking for any financial grant or facilities from the government,” Mendiratta added in his letter.