The Delhi High Court has nullified a directive from the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) that mandated the formation of an ad-hoc panel to oversee the Bihar Olympic Association’s activities. The court’s decision came on Monday, as Justice Sachin Datta responded to a petition filed by the Bihar Olympic Association, which challenged the IOA’s intervention.
The IOA had earlier appointed a single-member fact-finding panel in November 2024 to investigate various complaints about the functioning and electoral processes of the Bihar body. This was followed by an order on January 1, 2025, from the IOA president to establish an ad-hoc committee to manage the affairs of the Bihar Olympic Association temporarily.
Advocate Neha Singh, representing the Bihar Olympic Association, contended that the formation of the ad-hoc committee was both unilateral and illegal. Singh argued that the appointment did not involve consultation with other executive members of the IOA and exceeded the powers granted to its president under the IOA’s constitution.
The court acknowledged the petitioner’s assurance that elections for the Bihar Olympic Association would be conducted within the next three months. Justice Datta emphasized the necessity of adhering to democratic principles within sports organizations, stating that the IOA’s order to replace a duly elected body without proper consultation or a hearing was unsustainable.
