In an unexpected move, Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna has stepped aside from hearing pivotal legal pleas involving the constitutions of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and the All India Football Federation (AIFF). These constitutions were developed under the guidance of former Supreme Court Justice L. Nageswara Rao.
The announcement came early in the session on Monday as CJI Khanna, sharing the bench with Justice Sanjay Kumar, declared his withdrawal from the cases citing previous involvement with one of the pleas during his tenure at the Delhi High Court. He recommended that the cases be transferred to a bench headed by Justice P.S. Narasimha, scheduling the next hearing for February 10.
This development follows the prior session on March 19, 2024, overseen by then Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, which allowed the AIFF to present objections to the proposed draft constitution authored by Justice Rao. The bench also tasked the amicus curiae with updating the chart to reflect the AIFF’s feedback and planned to resolve the issues concerning the governance structures of both the IOA and the AIFF at the forthcoming hearing.
The decisions from these hearings are highly anticipated, as they are crucial to the governance and future operations of India’s primary sports bodies.
