New Delhi: Sports Ministry on Monday issued a show-cause notice to Hockey India, asking it to explain before Thursday's election as to why the government should not de-recognise it in the wake of the federation's declaration before Delhi High Court that it is a private body.
In the notice issued to HI president Vidya Stokes and secretary general Narinder Batra, Joint Secretary in the Ministry Injeti Srinivas said if the national federation fails to provide a satisfactory answer before its polls, the government's provisional recognition to HI will be automatically withdrawn.
"The Ministry of Sports (MoYAS) has carefully studied the orders passed by the Delhi High Courts and the Supreme Court of India and has noted that HI is holding its elections as a private body on the basis of its own set of rules and bye-laws," Srinivas said in the notice.
"In view of the private body status of the HI being accepted by the Honourable Supreme Court, you are hereby called upon to explain before the date of elections as to why the provisional recognition granted to HI by the MoYAS, shall not be withdrawn with immediate effect," the notice said.
"Failure to furnish a satisfactory reply within the time limit stated above will automatically result in withdrawal of recognition to HI as a National Sports Federation for hockey in India," it added.
The notice also states that HI had accepted before the Delhi High Court that it was not contesting with erstwhile Indian Hockey Federation to run the sport in the country.
"The HI has declared itself to be a private body before the Delhi High Court and that it was not contesting the status of IHF as the sole NSF for hockey in India," it said.
The much-awaited HI elections were postponed for the fourth time on July 28 after the Delhi and Bombay High Courts stayed the poll process.
While the Delhi High Court had stayed the polls following the failure of the Central government to clarify its legal position regarding HI and IHF, the Bombay High Court did the same on a petition filed by the Maharashtra Hockey Association.
HI, however, moved the Supreme Court against the orders and managed to vacate the stays on July 30 and obtain a green signal from the apex court to hold its elections.
Armed with the Supreme Court ruling, HI also announced that it will hold its elections, on Thursday.
Incidentally, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) had threatened to bar India from participating in international tournaments, including women World Cup in Rosario, Argentina later this month, if a democratically elected federation was not put in place by July 31.
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