Express News Service
IN a bizarre twist, Narinder Batra, who was barred by the Delhi High Court from continuing as Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president, resigned from all three major posts he had been holding.
In three different hand-written statements on plain white paper — circulated through his WhatsApp account — wrote of his intention to step down from the posts of IOA president, International Hockey Federation (FIH) president and International Olympic Committee (IOC) member.
The fight between the IOA secretary general Rajiv Mehta and Batra could have taken a decisive turn.
This could lead to a power-shift in the IOA. There is a possibility that the faction that was supporting Batra would be thinking of their next course of action. On Monday, after the CBI registered a case against Batra, his posts in IOA, IOC and even FIH looked untenable.
The IOC in 2013 had said that persons who were facing charges of corruption or crime should not be eligible to contest elections. And accordingly, the IOA constitution was remodelled.
According to the statement addressed to the Executive Board of the IOA, Batra wrote: “Due to personal reasons, I submit my resignation from the post of president for which I was elected in 2017.”
Interestingly, before the High Court intervened and barred him from holding the post of president, Batra was planning to contest at the postponed IOA elections.
Batra resigned from the post of IOC member as well. In another statement on a plain paper he said that he would not continue as IOC member either. He became an IOC member in 2019.
The IOA acting president Anil Khanna, acknowledged that the IOA had seen and noted the communication. “We have seen the hand-written communication and have taken note of it,” said Khanna.
“We must respect his personal reasons and accept it. At the same time, we must appreciate his contribution as a sports administrator and his contribution towards taking Indian hockey and IOA to greater heights.” He also said that as far as the functioning of the IOA is concerned, it will continue as it is.
Relinquishing the post of FIH president too was a shock. In another statement, Batra wrote that due to personal reasons he did not want to continue as the president of FIH. According to sports administrators, this is one post that seemed unharmed by other proceedings. And with the men’s World Cup slated in Odisha in January 2023, this decision to quit seemed surprising. That he decided to quit showed the kind of pressure he was under. Some even believe that this will once again lead to a shift of hockey power to Europe.
The FIH, in a statement, said it had received his resignation. “Dr Narinder Dhruv Batra has today informed the Members of the Executive Board (EB) of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) of his resignation from the post of FIH President which he currently holds,” it said. ” As stipulated in the FIH Statutes (Article 7.4 a), “the Executive Board shall appoint an acting President to hold office until the FIH Congress appoints a person to fill the vacancy”. Therefore, a meeting of the EB will be organised as soon as possible.
“In accordance with the same article, the next Presidential elections will take place during the upcoming FIH Congress which is planned to be held virtually on 4 and 5 November this year.”
Without a strong leader in India right now, a new FIH president is likely to be elected. There are indications that Europe, who didn’t always see eye to eye with Batra, would once again want to have the power back. In that case, if elections are not held in Hockey India, there is a possibility that FIH might even impose sanctions on HI. The worst case scenario from an Indian perspective is FIH removing next year’s World Cup from Odisha.
The two by-laws in IOA constitution that can come into play:
11.1.7…
iii) On conviction of an offence which is of serious nature under the Indian Penal Code /Prevention of Corruption Act, the Executive Council Member / Office Bearer / member of IOA shall resign immediately and if not then they will be excluded and will not be allowed to contest in the elections of the Executive Council / Office Bearers of IOA till three years after
completion of the sentence and the case will then be referred to the IOA Ethics Commission for further guidance.
iv) Where the charges have been framed by any Court in India, in respect of an offence which is of serious nature under the Indian Penal Code / Prevention of Corruption Act, in which
the punishment of imprisonment of more than 2 years is prescribed then the Member / Office Bearer/ Member of the Executive Council of the IOA will resign immediately and if not then they will be provisionally suspended and will not be eligible to contest in the elections and the case will then be referred to the IOA Ethics Commission for further guidance.
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