Neutral person Appointed to Handle Day-to-Day Affairs of Indian Olympic Association

In the case of the Indian Olympic Association v. Union of India, the Supreme Court allowed the appointment of a neutral person to handle the affairs of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) until independent elections could be held. The Court assigned its former judge, Justice L. Nageswara Rao, the task of heading the effort to amend the Constitution of the IOA and prepare a road map for elections.

In a recent meeting in Lausanne, the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided not to recognise any acting or interim president. Instead, the Secretary General of the IOA was recognised as the main point of contact. Further, it was submitted that the IOC has no problem with the interim administrative body and the secretary general running the day-to-day affairs of the IOA until the elections are held.

The IOA is currently in deep trouble with the IOC for not holding elections expeditiously and risks facing a ban if it does not hold the pending polls by December. The Apex Court has further asked the Secretary of the Union Sports Ministry to communicate the same to the IOC.