Give charge to elected body: SC to Kabaddi federation administrator

The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI) administrator former judge SP Garg to hand over charge to its elected governing body to allow player participation in a sporting event starting February 20 in Iran.

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A Bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh said the entrustment of charge should happen by February 11 and clarified it hadn’t recognised the elected body of the federation.

“It is clarified that the entrustment of charge to the elected body does not mean that this court has recognised the elected body of the National Kabaddi Federation of India or that the issues raised in the February 4, 2025 order won’t require to be taken to the logical conclusion,” it said.

The Bench ordered, “Owing to the urgency regarding participation of Indian players in the senior Asian Kabaddi championship-2025 scheduled to be held in Iran from February 20 to 25, we request Justice (retd) S P Garg, who has been appointed as administrator of National Kabaddi Federation of India, to hand over the charge of federation to the governing body said to have been elected on December 24, 2023.”

It observed Garg did a “commendable job” in restoring the transparency in the functioning of the federation aside from bringing several reforms in the association.

“The needful be done on or before February 11, 2025,” it said. The counsel of the duly-elected governing body should remain present in court on the next date of hearing on March 3 and a status report over the scheduled championship should also be submitted, the bench said.

The top court directed once the charge was handed over to the elected body, the International Kabaddi Federation should abide by the undertaking given by its February 6 letter.

“The governing body of the federation will take all necessary steps to select the teams for participation in the championship. The Centre and Sports Ministry will ensure that the Indian teams are allowed to participate in the scheduled championship,” it said.

Solicitor general Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, said it interacted with the International Kabaddi federation and received a letter on the premise that the elected body would be in place.

“There are some issues with regard to this International Kabaddi Federation also. So, without prejudice to those issues, which we would like to examine. But for the time being this ad hoc arrangement can be resorted to with the idea that the participating players are not deprived of the opportunity,” said the Bench.