CHENNAI: The All India Chess Federation (AICF) secretary Bharat Singh Chauhan has had to vacate his post after the Delhi High Court on Monday said he cannot continue. He was ineligible to hold the post after a June 2 order that termed his election invalid on the ground of flouting sports code. However, because of the Chess Olympiad, Supreme Court had allowed him to continue until August 15.
On Tuesday, the AICF held an urgent virtual general body meeting and endorsed the appointment of Vipnesh Bharadwaj, an international arbiter, as the interim secretary.
"As per court order, Bharat Singh Chauhan had to vacate his post and the AICF president (Sanjay Kapoor) had named him the secretary on Monday and as per the constitution, Bharadwaj's name needed to be endorsed by the general body," said Naresh Sharma, the treasurer of AICF. "We held an urgent GB meeting today and vetted the interim arrangement."
However, the matter gets complicated with Ravindra Dongre of Maharashtra claiming to be the legitimate person to hold the post of secretary after Chauhan had vacated the post.
"I should be the secretary after Chauhan was asked to go," he told The New Indian Express. "I have already written to the president and other members that Chauhan's tenure had ended on August 15 and I assumed charge from August 16."
According to a letter by Dongre sent to members, he said the appointment of any other person would be in violation of the court order and contempt. He also argued in the letter that since he has already assumed charge as secretary, the GB meeting was not legal. He said they have follow the sports code.
The Delhi High Court had said on June 2 that Chauhan had violated the sports code and could not continue. He got 35 votes, which is less than two-third in the elections. His challenger Dongre got 29.
"Upon plain reading and examination of the same, it is clear that if a person is found to have been voted for the second consecutive term for the post of secretary, without securing a majority of two thirds of the members of the NSF, then such person would have no right in law to occupy the said position," the court had said.
The AICF treasurer, however, said that Dongre cannot be a secretary as he is not part of any state.
"So his letters does not have any locus standi," he said.
And on the contempt issue, Sharma said that the court order is an interim one and it only deals with the issue whether Chauhan can continue as secretary or not. "The High Court order only says Chauhan cannot continue and doesn't say he or she will be the secretary. We have followed our constitution." Dongre said that rival faction members are wrong and that he is a member.
As things are, the matter of AICF will not end here. Both parties would be approaching court. Sharma said the president has formed a three-advocate committee to guide the AICF on future course of action.