CHENNAI: The Delhi High Court on Monday accepted an application filed by the Equestrian Federation of India (EFI) in response to an order issued by it on July 20. In that order, the court restrained Lt General SS Mishra and Lt General MKS Yadav from acting as president and vice-president of the federation till the next hearing.
The court, however, did not vacate the order or allow the body to hold its annual general meeting to conduct elections, as requested by EFI, thus maintaining status quo. The application will be heard on September 24.
“The court accepted our application for hearing. It did not vacate the order as we requested but looked satisfied with the procedures we followed in appointing the president and vice-president on an interim basis,” an EFI source told this daily.
The court last week restrained Lt General SS Mishra and Lt General MKS Yadav from acting as president and vice-president of EFI after hearing an application from Rajasthan Equestrian Association.
The state unit accused the parent body of violating the National Sports Development Code by reserving key posts for Indian Army officers.
The Rajasthan unit said that Lt General Gopal R, a Quarter- Master General (QMG), was unanimously elected EFI president for four years in September 2019 while Lt General MH Thakur was elected vice-president in September 2017.
It added that Mishra and Yadav were appointed as temporary president and vice-president (Admin), without fresh elections and only on the basis of their position in Indian Army once Gopal and Thakur resigned.
In its defence, EFI on Monday told the court that the appointments were made in accordance with its statutes in concurrence with observer Dr SY Quraishi. Quraishi, a former chief election commissioner of India, was appointed observer by the court last year to oversee the functioning of the federation. EFI also said the temporary arrangement was made in the wake of the pandemic considering that the president and vice-president have vital roles to play in the functioning of the federation.