NEW DELHI: Facing legal hurdles after disgruntled member state associations approached courts, the Boxing Federation of India’s (BFI) forthcoming elections were on Friday “paused” by Returning Officer RK Gauba after incumbent Ajay Singhled governing body informed the RO that it is seeking urgent intervention against the “contradictory orders” issued by the judiciary.
The BFI’s elections are scheduled for March 28 in Gurugram.
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“The president of the BFI has communicated...since these orders have the potential to disrupt the ongoing electoral process/schedule, we are taking steps to approach the superior courts for urgent intervention. Therefore, it’s requested that further orders be awaited before the conflicting orders of the high courts are acted upon,” Gauba quoted Singh as saying in his order.
The RO – a former Delhi high court judge – said that the election process would remain paused until the federation informs him of the steps taken in response to the court orders.
“Thus, the process is paused till BFI informs of the action taken in the wake of the court orders,” Gauba wrote.
Two days ago, the Delhi High Court had stayed the federation’s March 7 directive signed by Singh that “only duly-elected members of BFI’s affiliated units are authorised to represent their respective states in the elections”.
The court had ruled on a petition filed by the Delhi Amateur Boxing Association (DABA), paving the way for its office-bearers Rohit Jainendra Jain and Neeraj Kant Bhatt to vote in the BFI’s annual general meeting (AGM) as Delhi boxing body’s representatives.
On Thursday, another ruling by the Himachal Pradesh High Court allowed former sports minister Anurag Thakur to contest the BFI’s presidential election by staying his disqualification from the electoral college based on the March 7 circular, and directed Gauba to include the senior BJP leader’s name as one of the representatives from the Himachal boxing body to enable his candidature.
It’s been learnt that the Maharashtra state boxing association has also filed a writ petition before the High Court of Judicature at Bombay, impleading the RO to stay the elections.
