The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued notices to the Centre and the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) on a plea filed by the Delhi Amateur Boxing Association seeking the appointment of an independent returning officer to oversee the federation’s elections.
Justice Mini Pushkarna directed both the Centre and the BFI to respond to the application and scheduled the matter for hearing in August.
The application, part of a larger petition challenging the BFI’s decision to allow only elected representatives of affiliated state units to vote in its elections, raises concerns over the neutrality and transparency of the electoral process. The petitioner claimed that the previous returning officer, retired Justice R.K. Gauba, resigned on April 14, creating a vacuum in the election oversight mechanism.
The plea alleges that the former BFI president, who is contesting the elections, is attempting to delay the process and appoint a “compliant returning officer” instead of an independent one, in violation of the National Sports Code.
Despite the Himachal Pradesh High Court’s directive and the presence of observers from the World Boxing Federation and the Government of India, the BFI has not ensured an impartial and timely conduct of its elections, the petitioner said.
Earlier, on March 19, the high court had stayed the federation’s March 7 decision that mandated only elected members of affiliated state units could vote. This decision had led to the exclusion of two nominees from the Delhi Amateur Boxing Association—Rohit Jainendra Jain and Neeraj Kant Bhatt—from the electoral college, deeming them “ineligible” under the controversial circular.
