CHENNAI: The Madras High Court ruled on Tuesday that elections of the All India Chess Federation (AICF) will take place in Hyderabad on February 10. The order from Justices MM Sundresh and Krishnan Ramasamy comes after AICF secretary BS Chauhan appealed against a January 28 verdict which said the elections should happen in Chennai on February 10.
Saying that the 2011 National Sports Code has to be followed, the court empowered returning officer FMI Kalifulla to decide if the date and venue have to be changed. “In such case, the returning officer shall send fresh notices to all the members of the general body indicating the date, time and venue,” read the order accessed by this newspaper.
It also set February 6 as the last date to file nominations, which means the Chauhan faction can submit names of their candidates. The group led by AICF president PR Venketrama Raja has already filed nominations for the 15 posts. This is a relief for the Chauhan group, which could have been left out of the electoral college had the January 28 order been followed.
However, there might be complications regarding submission of names of voters because there are a few states from which different sets of names were submitted before the matter went to court. The returning officer will have the last word on this. “If there is any dispute with regard to the nomination to represent various associations in the general body, the same shall be determined by the returning officer,” read the order. Members of both factions appear satisfied. Seeking re-election, Raja is likely to face opposition from Ajay Patel. The secretary’s post is expected to see a contest between RM Dongre and Chauhan. However, members also felt that February 10 appears to be too soon. They expect Kalifulla to announce a new date.