Yet another national sports body is in the dock over governance issues. The Union Sports Ministry has suspended the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI). Reason? By not holding elections on time, it was in breach of the Sports Code.
And when did the PCI last hold elections? September 2019.
The Sports Ministry, in a letter to the Sports Authority of India, has authorised SAI to form an ad hoc committee to oversee the functioning of the PCI.
The ministry has written to the president of the PCI about the violations. “Whereas the last elections of PCI were held in September 2019 but due to order passed by the Honourable Delhi High Court in W.P. No. 10647/2019 staying the notification of election dated 03.09,2019 and the Returning Officer was also restrained from declaring the result of the elections. As such, the results of the election were not declared. The Hon’ble Delhi High Court vide order dated 27.01.2020 in W.P. No. 10647/2019 allowed the declaration of results of the election notified on 03.09.2019 subject to the further orders to be passed in the said petition. In pursuance of the above order of Honourable Delhi High Court, the Returning Officer declared the results of election on 31.01.2020. So, the four year term of the Executive Committee of PCI has ended on 31.01.2024,” the letter, which was shared with the media, reads.
The ministry has pointed out that the elections were supposed to be held before the term of the executive council ended on January 31 this year.
However, the PCI had called for an election on March 28 which the ministry felt was intentional. PCI’s “decision to hold the election on 28.03.2024 is willful, intentional and without any valid reason. Such failure undermines the democratic process and the principles of good governance as mandated under the National Sports Development Code of India,” the letter further reads.
