High Court stays appointment of AAC in EFI, gives control back to EC

NEW DELHI: The Divisional bench of the Delhi High Court on Wednesday stayed the appointment of the Adhoc Administrative Committee (AAC) tasked with running the day-to-day affairs of the Equestrian Federation of India (EFI) and reinstated the Executive Committee elected in 2019.
This decision came after the Delhi High Court initially ordered the appointment of an ad-hoc panel, led by Justice (Retd) Nazmi Wajiri, on May 24, following a plea by the Rajasthan Equestrian Association (REA).The ad-hoc committee was intended to manage the routine operations of the EFI.
However, the EFI filed a Letter Patent Appeal (LPA) against the single bench's order, resulting in a favorable ruling for the federation. The Court's decision reinstated the 20-member Executive Committee that was formed following the 2019 elections, thus returning control of the EFI to the previously elected body.
"We had faith in the judiciary. We thank the court for hearing our concerns and delivering justice in this case. This is a crucial Olympic year and we want to stay focussed on providing the best-possible support to our athletes. This decision will help us in this endeavours of ours," Col Jaiveer Singh, who will now continue as Secretary General of the EFI, said.
India have secured a quota for the Paris Games in the Dressage event, thanks to Asian Games bronze medallist Anush Agarwalla. Agarwalla, who clinched an individual bronze and team gold in Hangzhou, earned the quota based on his impressive performances in four FEI events: Wroclaw, Poland (73.485%), Kronenberg, Netherlands (74.4%), Frankfurt, Germany (72.9%), and Mechelen, Belgium (74.2%).
In sports like shooting and wrestling, Olympic quotas are allocated to the National Federation, which in this case is the Equestrian Federation of India (EFI). Despite allegations of misconduct against the current EFI leadership, they claim to be vindicated by the High Court's decision to reinstate the Executive Committee elected in 2019.
The Rajasthan Equestrian Association (REA) had taken the EFI to court, arguing that the Executive Committee members had unlawfully extended their terms, violating the Sports Code.
Additionally, the REA has filed a separate petition accusing the EFI of breaching the Sports Code by granting voting rights to clubs and institutions, which the REA contends should be reserved for state associations only.
"We have done nothing wrong. The allegations of impropriety were baseless. We have always worked for the betterment of sport and our athletes and will continue to do so.
"The exemptions we had got from the Sports Ministry was a validation of our intent and the multiple requirements and needs of the sport. We were working in tandem with the government and will continue to do so," Jaiveer said.
(With PTI inputs)