BFI Elections On Hold: Courtroom Clash Pauses Poll Process

The upcoming Boxing Federation of India elections were "paused" on Friday by Returning Officer RK Gauba after the Delhi and Himachal Pradesh High Courts directed the body to reinstate names that were omitted from the electoral college owing to a March 7 directive by BFI President Ajay Singh. (More Sports News)

Singh wrote to Gauba on Friday, stating that the BFI is seeking urgent intervention from a superior court due to the "conflicting orders" issued by the two high courts. The election is scheduled for March 28.

"The president of the BFI has communicated...'(s)ince these orders have the potential to disrupt the ongoing electoral process/schedule, we are taking steps to approach the superior courts for urgent intervention'," Gauba quoted Singh as saying in in his order.

Gauba said that Singh requested that "further orders be awaited before the conflicting orders of the high courts are acted upon".

The Delhi High Court had asked the BFI to proceed with the elections despite staying the March 7 order that rendered all those who are not elected members of their state associations ineligible for the electoral college.

The BFI president's directive had led to disqualification of former sports minister Anurag Thakur, who intends to challenge Singh for the top post, and was going to represent his home state Himachal Pradesh.

The Himachal court, however, directed BFI to extend the deadline of nominations to allow Thakur to file his papers, declaring that the incumbent BFI head had no power to pass strictures.

Gauba said that the election process would remain paused until the BFI informs him of the steps taken in response to the court orders.

"Thus, the process is paused till BFI informs...of the action taken in the wake of the court orders."

The elections have been significantly delayed and mired in endless controversy. As per the schedule announced earlier this month, the polls were to be held on March 28.

The window of nominations was March 14 to 16, while the scrutiny of nomination took place on Tuesday.

The body was originally supposed to hold elections before February 2 but swung into action only after the IOA appointed an ad-hoc committee.

BFI challenged the move in Delhi High Court, which put a stay on the ad-hoc panel.