HC stays Chandigarh Olympic Assn elections

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has stayed the elections of the Chandigarh Olympic Association (COA), which were scheduled for November 21.

“As the ‘existing members' are yet to be identified which is the basis of holding the elections, till further orders, the elections scheduled for November 21 are directed to be kept in abeyance and status quo qua the election be maintained,” stated the order issued by the double Bench division of Justice Harsimran Singh Sethi and Judge Vikas Puri.

“The court has deferred the elections,” said Anand Chhibbar, appearing on behalf of appellant COA, along with Vaibhav Saini. The COA has filed an appeal terming the list of existing members — based on which the elections were to be conducted — had been illegally altered. The COA argued that until the correct list of the existing members is finalised, the elections should not be held. The counsel appearing for the Chandigarh Administration said the administration has no vested interest in the COA elections. The Deputy Commissioner is acting only as a court-appointed Administrator to conduct elections fairly.

As per the court’s earlier order, the elections must be conducted only among the “existing members” of the association. Since the identity of these existing members is disputed, elections cannot proceed.

“The IOA must clarify who is actually eligible to be treated as an existing member under Clause 27 of its Memorandum and Rules,” observed the Bench. The IOA has been given seven days’ time to file an affidavit clarifying who the legitimate existing members are.

The matter will be heard on November 27.

The ‘controversial’ COA has been on its way to a revamp. For the first time, the Chandigarh Administration officials were asked to head the process of making the electoral rolls and hold the elections on the directions of High Court. However, the process has now been delayed for at least a week, claimed the sources.

The former office-bearers of the COA have been at loggerheads for ages now. Earlier, this month, the Deputy Commissioner (DC), appointed as administrator (for conducting the COA elections on the directions of a Punjab and Haryana High Court), approved a total of 22 sports associations as valid voters. As many as 34 were in contention asking for voting rights. A new case was filed after some of the associations were dropped from the list and one of the COA groups approached the High Court. For nearly the last two decades, the COA officials have been fighting to gain full control over the sports body.