Latest news with #NationalSportsDevelopmentCodeofIndia
United News of India
19-05-2025
- Politics
- United News of India
SC transfers boxing federation poll dispute to Delhi HC
New Delhi, May 19 (UNI) The Supreme Court on Monday consolidated all cases concerning the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) elections before the Delhi High Court, following consent from all parties involved. A bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice N Kotiswar Singh passed the order while hearing petitions filed by former Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur and the Himachal Pradesh Boxing Association (HPBA), challenging the Himachal Pradesh High Court's interim orders relating to the BFI election process. 'We have discussed the matter in open court. Parties agree that Delhi High Court can be the appropriate forum to agitate all issues. We dispose of cases pending before Himachal Pradesh High Court with liberty to the writ petitioners before the High Court to file either a fresh writ before Delhi High Court or join the pending proceedings. Respondents undertake not to raise issue of territorial jurisdiction,' the court ordered. The Supreme Court also directed that a stay passed by the Division Bench of the Himachal Pradesh High Court effectively halting the election process would remain in force for six weeks. The parties were permitted to seek continuation or modification of the stay before the Delhi High Court during this period. The consolidation aims to prevent multiplicity of litigation and conflicting judicial decisions. 'Ideally, we should have viewpoint of one High Court,' Justice Surya Kant observed. The petitions arose from a dispute over the disqualification of Anurag Thakur from participating in the BFI elections. Thakur, an executive member of HPBA, was nominated by the association to contest the March 28 elections. However, his nomination was rejected without notice or hearing, allegedly at the behest of former BFI President Ajay Singh. The BFI had issued a notification on March 7, adding fresh eligibility criteria for nominations. This notification was challenged as being in violation of the Federation's Memorandum of Association and the National Sports Development Code of India, 2011. It was also argued that the notification was issued after the expiry of Ajay Singh's tenure as BFI president. Initially, a single judge of the Himachal Pradesh High Court had stayed Thakur's disqualification and directed an extension of the nomination deadline. This was overturned by a Division Bench, prompting the current proceedings before the Supreme Court. As per the Supreme Court's direction, the legal battle over the BFI elections, particularly concerning Anurag Thakur's disqualification, will now be adjudicated solely by the Delhi High Court.
Hindustan Times
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
SC sends Anurag Thakur, others to Delhi HC following dispute over BFI elections
The Supreme Court on Monday transferred all ongoing litigation on the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) elections lying before the Himachal Pradesh high court to the Delhi HC to streamline the adjudication process and prevent conflicting judicial outcomes. The top court said that cases pending before the Himachal Pradesh high court, including those filed by BJP leader and former Union sports minister Anurag Thakur, and the Himachal Pradesh Boxing Association (HPBA), will stand disposed of, granting liberty to the petitioners to either initiate fresh proceedings before the Delhi HC or join existing cases already pending hearing there. A bench comprising justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh passed the order with the consent of all parties involved. The respondents, including BFI, agreed not to raise objections on the grounds of territorial jurisdiction before the Delhi HC. The apex court noted that it was preferable for one forum to consider all related disputes. 'Ideally, we should have the viewpoint of one high court,' the SC said. The top court clarified that the stay granted earlier by a division bench of the Himachal Pradesh HC, which had halted the BFI election process, will continue to remain in force for the next six weeks. The SC gave all parties the liberty to seek the continuation or modification of such stay before the Delhi HC. Thakur had moved the Supreme Court challenging his exclusion from contesting the presidential election for BFI. He, along with the HPBA, filed the plea against the Himachal Pradesh HC order that effectively halted the BFI election process. In his plea, Thakur, an executive member of HPBA, a state unit affiliated with the BFI, argued that he was lawfully nominated by the association to contest the presidential elections scheduled for March 28. However, he claimed that his nomination was arbitrarily rejected on March 18 without a notice or a hearing, allegedly at the behest of former BFI president Ajay Singh. The disqualification was based on a March 7 notification issued by Singh, the outgoing BFI president. The notification restricted electoral participation to elected members of affiliated state units, effectively barring Thakur and several others. Petitioners argued that the notification was not only arbitrary and in breach of the BFI's Memorandum of Association, but also violative of the National Sports Development Code of India, 2011. While a single judge bench of the Himachal Pradesh HC initially stayed Thakur's disqualification and directed BFI to reopen nominations, a division bench later overturned this order citing lack of jurisdiction, prompting Thakur and the other petitioners to move the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court, however, refrained from examining the contention that the dispute had become infructuous owing to changes in the international recognition status of BFI.
India Gazette
15-05-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
"Delhi high court has asked Sports Ministry to...": AIPA president Arvind on granting of NSF status to Indian Pickleball Association
New Delhi [India] May 15 (ANI): President All India Pickleball Association (AIPA), Arvind Prabhoo, highlighted that the Delhi High Court has instructed Ministry of Youth and Sports to provide a written explanation justifying the status of National Sports Federation (NSF) to the Indian Pickleball Association (IPA). AIPA strongly opposed the Sports Ministry's decision to grant National Sports Federation (NSF) status to the Indian Pickleball Association (IPA), as communicated in a letter dated April 25, as per the AIPA press release. AIPA believed this action appeared to have been influenced by undue lobbying and misleading representations made by the newly formed entity. Granting NSF status to an organisation formed in November 2024 -- bypassing AIPA's 18 years of contribution. While talking to the ANI Arvind Prabhoo President AIPA said,' We challenged it in the court and the honourable court has directed the Ministry of Youth and Sports to furnish under an affidavit the justification for giving relaxation you know they have offered relaxation to this Indian Pickleball Association so the court has asked justification of that. And that is what we are hearing on the 19th, that is coming Monday.' AIPA last Sunday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, highlighting the ongoing injustice regarding the sport of Pickleball and its recognition being overlooked for the last 18 years by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS). 'We have sent it, we are requesting an opinion from the Honorable PM, PMO to look into this matter because according to us it draws injustice for us and all India Pickleball Association, and we are requesting them to intervene in this matter and get to the bottom of this,' Arvind Prabhoo said. Established in 2007, the All India Pickleball Association (AIPA) is the oldest and most widely represented governing body for pickleball in India, with active federations in 24 states. AIPA has played a pivotal role in the structured growth of the sport for nearly two decades and is also a founding member of both the International Pickleball Federation (IPF) and the Asian Pickleball Federation (APF), with official affiliations granted in 2015 and 2020, respectively, as per a press release from AIPA. AIPA pointed out that the recognition granted to IPA by the Sports Ministry has been made after relaxing key eligibility conditions outlined in the National Sports Development Code of India, 2011, including: --- Requirement of a minimum three-year existence: As per Para 3.3 of Annexure-II of the Sports Code 2011, a sports federation must be in existence and functioning for at least three years before it can be considered for recognition as an NSF. The IPA was incorporated in November 2024 and has therefore not met this minimum eligibility. --- Requirement of state-level representation: The Sports Code mandates that a State/UT unit of a federation must be affiliated with at least 50% of the district-level associations in that region to be considered valid. There is no verifiable evidence that IPA or its state units meet this remains committed to the values of fair play, sportsmanship, and clean sports governance and calls upon the Ministry to immediately review and rectify the decision in the larger interest of Pickleball and the Indian sporting community. (ANI)
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
03-05-2025
- Sport
- First Post
Pickleball lands in Indian court: AIPA accuses IPA of misleading Sports Ministry for recognition
The Sports Ministry's decision to grant National Sports Federation status to the IPA rather than the much older AIPA has led to a court battle. AIPA's president explains the controversy in a conversation with Firstpost. read more The sport of pickleball in India has found a new court – the Delhi High Court as the judicial body has asked the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) to explain their recent decision to grant national sports federation (NSF) status to the Indian Pickleball Association (IPA) instead of the much older All India Pickleball Association (AIPA). The IPA was recognised as India's national federation for pickleball on 25 April by the Sports Ministry. The recognition gives IPA the exclusive rights to receive financial grants from the government, and autonomy to regulate, promote and develop the sport nationally. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD AIPA has challenged the grounds on which IPA was afforded the recognition by the Indian Sports Ministry, when it's only a 'six-month-old' body, while they were established in 2007 and are currently present in 24 states through their state federations. The Sports Ministry is required to provide reasoning and justification for granting any exemptions under the National Sports Development Code of India by 19 May 2025. AIPA president Arvind Prabhoo, in an exclusive conversation with Firstpost, has alleged that IPA has attained recognition by misleading the Sports Ministry 'How can the Ministry relax statutory requirements when there's an existing federation available and that has already applied?' Prabhoo told Firstpost. 'I think the Ministry was misled by making some representation; we are not very sure, but according to me, the Ministry has been misled about certain facts by the other federation.' Prabhoo added that the AIPA has about 10,000 athletes associated with it and has been working to develop pickleball in India for more than a decade, making it the most eligible federation to earn recognition as the national federation. 'AIPA is in 24 states. We have about 10,000 players who are directly associated with us,' Prabhoo added. 'We hold four national ranking tournaments and we hold one national tournament every year. We have held eight national tournaments since 2013 and we have done two international tournaments. One was in 2022 and one was in 2024, the World Pickleball Championships. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'We have sent our players to Asian countries where we have won gold at Asian Pickleball Games two times in a row in Taiwan and our players are also World Pickleball Championships gold medallists, so we have over 100 international medals with our players.' Further making a case for AIPA, Prabhoo said being a federation for over 10 years and present in multiple states, it complies with key statutory requirements laid down in the National Sports Development Code of India to be recognised as an NSF. 'The Indian sports ministry has recognised the Indian Pickleball Association (IPA), which is a six-month-old association. It was formed in November 2024. We had already applied for recognition in October 2024, one month prior to even the formation of IPA. Now it has come as a big surprise, relaxing the two statutory requirements that the federation should be at least three years in operation and that it has to be present in 50% of the states. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'In the 25 April order, the ministry has relaxed two key statutory requirements.' Prabhoo revealed that while they had not been able to meet the Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya so far, they were always under the impression that they would be granted the recognition based on their long history. 'We were having talks with some people with the ministry and we were hoping that if there are any requirements from our end, we were ready to meet and fulfil that. Our founder, Sunil Walavalka,r also met Raksha Khadse (Minister of State in the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports of India) one and a half months ago. We were unable to meet Minister Mansukh Mandaviya as he was very busy. We met officials and secretaries there, asking if there's anything that needs to be done,' he said. 'As far as the secretary is concerned, we were informed we were absolutely inline to get the recognition. There was no other compliance required. She did mention we should try and meet the honourable minister because the other federation also had made a presentation directly to the minister. But we were trying to meet the minister but we could not get an appointment. In fact, there was a call made on our behalf by a senior member of the government whereby the honourable minister had assured the senior member that he would call me personally, that is, Arvind Prabhoo and other members of the federation but that never happened. So this has come as a big shock and surprise that, without giving us a chance to represent ourselves, the order came out.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Sports Ministry's decision in favour of IPA, which was registered last year, how now forced AIPA to move Delhi High Court and they are ready to take the fight to the Supreme Court if required. 'We will go to the Supreme Court. That is very clear. If we don't get relief in the High Court, we will approach the Supreme Court. We are willing to talk to the Sports Ministry and meet the honourable Minister,' Prabhoo signed off.
