CHENNAI: The Judo Federation of India finally had an executive committee after four year when its election was conducted for an interim body on Monday. Former general secretary Mukesh Kumar has been elected the president of the interim EC that will focus on aligning the constitution with the National Sports Governance Act 2025.
Bani Brata Das of Assam has been elected as the general secretary while the treasurer will be Shailesh Tilak from Maharashtra. Busan Asian Games medallist and former India tennis star Manisha Malhotra too has made her foray into sports administration in a National Sports Federation. Manisha, who is president at the Inspire Institute of Sports, has worked with and supported multiple athletes in their endeavour to excel.
A seasoned administrator and a top former Sports Authority of India official Mukesh Kumar has been part of JFI for more than a decade. He said that their priority would be to focus on Commonwealth and Asian Games preparation. They would hold talks with players and the Indian Olympic Association for more updates to help judokas prepare for the mega Games. For now, though, the focus would be to streamline the JFI. Aesha Munawar too was elected VP while Olympian and Arjuna Awardee Akram Shah was elected to the EC as an Outstanding Sportspersons of Merit.
The new committee’s main task would be to adopt the new constitution after aligning it with the National Sports Governance Act, as directed by the Delhi High Court order. The election was held under the direction of the Delhi High Court that ruled in February that a constitution of an administrator cannot be accepted by the court. The single judge bench of Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav said that the administrator, JFI, would call an Annual General Meeting [AGM] for the purpose of conducting elections to the JFI.
The February order said that within the next two months from the date on which the AGM is held, the electoral college would be finalised and published as per the provisions of the NSG Act and the Rules framed. The court also directed the JFI general body to elect an interim executive committee who will take charge of administration from the administrator and would “make necessary amendments in the constitution of JFI and to take steps towards bringing the constitutions of its members, fully in line with the mandate of the NSG Act, and the Rules would conduct the elections under the provisions of the NSG Act and rules.”