NEW DELHI: In a relief to the Centre and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), the Supreme Court on Thursday said the Centre need not seek the consent of the Delhi High Court before granting recognition to various sports federations under the National Sports Code.
The Union Sports Ministry on Thursday welcomed the apex court’s go-ahead to it on grant of recognition to National Sports Federations (NSFs) and said it would intimate the court about the process in a week’s time.
The High Court order had earlier passed on a 2010 PIL filed by lawyer Rahul Mehra seeking observance of the National Sports Code and directions to the Sports Ministry and the IOA to ensure that NSFs perform their duties well.
The counsel for the Centre said there are several federations and if it was to seek consent of the High Court before granting recognition to any federation, the whole process will come to a standstill.
On August 7, the ministry had requested the High Court to modify the order and allow at least the grant of recognition to the NSFs but the court rejected that plea and asked for a National Sports Code compliance report.
