Delhi HC seeks IOA stand on plea by Ski and Snowboard India against ad-hoc panel

New Delhi, Mar 19 (PTI) The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought the stand of the Centre and the Indian Olympic Association on a petition of the Ski and Snowboard India against the constitution of an ad-hoc committee to take over its affairs.
     Justice Sachin Datta, however, refused to stay the October 13, 2023 order by the IOA president on the formation of the ad-hoc committee.
     Considering the order was issued in October 2023, the judge said, he was not inclined to pass any order without considering the response of the other side.
     The court questioned the petitioner on the maintainability of the plea in its name when the body had been taken over by the ad-hoc committee.
     Petitioner's counsel Neha Singh said despite the existence of the ad-hoc committee, the petitioner body, which was responsible for the governing of the game of Ski and Snowboard activities in India, continued to exist as a legally registered society.
     She said the ad-hoc committee was formed without any showcause notice to the body and after October 2023, the petitioner wrote to the IOA and the Centre on several occasions for redressal of its grievances.
     The petitioner said the formation of the ad-hoc committee was ordered in an "unilateral, illegal and arbitrary" manner, in grave violation of natural Justice and the sports code.
     The petitioner was not intimated or given any showcause notice or a hearing with respect to any alleged complaints which led to the decision to form the ad-hoc committee to manage the affairs, the plea added.
     The IOA president, the plea said, passed the direction without consulting the executive committee as per the IOA Constitution.
     The matter would be heard next in May.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)