Delhi HC sets aside IOA decision asking Bihar olympic body to form ad-hoc panel

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday set aside a decision of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) asking the constitution of an ad-hoc panel to look into the affairs of the Bihar Olympic Association. Justice Sachin Datta passed the verdict on a plea of the Bihar Olympic Association observing the body's elections would be held in three months.

"I have set aside the impugned order dated January 1, 2025..The court has taken on record the petitioner's statement that election shall be held within three months," the court said.

The petitioner, represented by advocate Neha Singh, had argued that the appointment of a single-member fact-finding panel in November 2024 over certain alleged complaints with respect to its functioning and election process was unilateral.


The illegal order by the IOA president issued on January 1 to form the ad-hoc committee cannot be sustained, it added.

The petitioner therefore sought restoration of its status, alleging at no point was it informed about the purported representations received against it and was got no opportunity to be heard.

Singh submitted that the constitution of the IOA did not empower its president to form an "ad-hoc committee" to replace a duly-elected and duly-registered body when there was no consultation with the IOA executive committee members before such a drastic measure.