Court allows Barshami-led HOA to attend IOA’s meeting on Sunday

The court of additional district and sessions judge Rajesh Garg on Saturday allowed Indian National Lok Dal MLA Sher Singh Barshami-led Haryana Olympic Association (HOA) to attend Sunday’s meeting of Indian Olympic Association (IOA).

“We had filed the appeal against the order of civil judge Amit Verma dated November 14 which was allowed on Saturday,” said Ajay Kaushik, counsel for Barshami group. “Now, it has been ordered that both Barshami-led group and PV Rathi-led group can attend the Sunday’s meeting,” he added.

Barshami-led group includes himself as the president, INLD MLA Ashok Arora as vice president, HS Bhadu as secretary general and KK Godara as treasurer.

Barshami was sentenced for 10 years along with former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala and his son Ajay Chautala.

Rathi is presently principal advisor (home and CID) to Haryana chief minister.

On November 14, the court of civil judge Amit Verma had ordered Barshami-led group from acting and proclaiming HOA and also from using the name against which an appeal was filed which was allowed today.
The general body meeting of IOA is slated to take place on Sunday where it is likely to amend its constitution to disallow charge-framed people from contesting its elections.

This meeting is being held after the International Olympic Association served an ultimatum to the Indian body for amending its constitution. In its diktat, the international body had said that otherwise it would recommend India’s de-recognition to its executive board which meets on December 10 and 11.

The dispute

There has been a long-standing dispute between two HOAs-one is led by Barshami and other by PV Rathi. The matter went into arbitration under advocate RK Anand who decided in the favour of Abhay Singh Chautala and his faction was also subsequently recognised by the Indian Olympic Association. Barshami was elected president of this faction in 2012.

The other faction held its elections in September 2012 and re-elected Rathi and then moved a petition before the Delhi High Court in 2012. The high court gave an interim order allowing Rathi group to attend IOA meeting but ordered that their vote would be kept in sealed cover.

When Barshami faction also became party in the case, the high court in it’s another order allowed both to attend the meeting of IOA till the pendency of the case.

But as the case was going on in the Delhi High Court, Rathi group filed another suit in a Panchkula district court over the recognition of their HOA and on November 14 the civil judge gave an interim order in favour of Rathi group. “Our ground in the court was that we are the real HOA and filing of a case in the Delhi High Court by the Rathi group itself proves that they are not the real one,” informed Kaushik.