On Wednesday, the Delhi High Court voiced its frustration regarding the ongoing internal conflict within the Boxing Federation of India (BFI). The court pointed out that such disputes could lead to the disqualification of national sports federations on an international scale.

The conflict began when BFI president Ajay Singh suspended Hemanta Kumar Kalita and Digvijay Singh from their roles as secretary general and treasurer, respectively, on March 18. This action followed an investigation that found them guilty of "financial irregularities." The inquiry was conducted by former Delhi High Court judge Sudhir Kumar Jain, who was appointed by the BFI after complaints surfaced about unauthorized fund withdrawals, fraudulent billing, and misuse of power. Kalita and Singh have since challenged their suspensions in the Delhi High Court, with a hearing scheduled for April 4.

During the proceedings, Chief Justice DK Upadhyay and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela urged the officials to resolve the matter for the sake of sports, labeling the situation as "unhappy."

The bench emphasized that the Olympic charter, which governs international sports, promotes "autonomy," a principle that is currently at risk. "I'm astonished by this kind of infighting. Every sports federation seems to have some sort of dispute. Who is supposed to manage the sports? It's the federation. Such issues could lead to disqualification by the international federation. The Olympic charter states that the governing body must be autonomous, and this autonomy is being undermined by legal battles," the bench remarked to senior advocates Amit Sibal and Sandeep Sharma, who represented Singh and Kalita, respectively.

It stated, "This is quite an unfortunate situation. I can't wrap my head around this internal conflict. Every sports federation is caught up in legal battles. If this fighting continues, we know what steps to take. Please sort this out for the sake of sports."

The court expressed its concerns after senior advocate Sandeep Sharma, representing the former treasurer, raised issues regarding the validity of the petition filed by the BFI against the single judge's order from March 19. In that order, Justice Mini Pushkarna permitted the Delhi Amateur Boxing Association (DABA) to take part in the upcoming BFI elections by putting a hold on BFI's circular that allowed elected members from state units to join the elections until August 18.

Sharma also pointed out that on March 18, the president had suspended both the secretary and the treasurer, and the petition was filed by the president, who lacked the authority to do so. He noted that the federation currently has no executive committee due to the election process starting on February 25.

Acknowledging these points, the court asked senior advocate Amit Sibal to gather further instructions and scheduled the next hearing for April 7.

In its petition to the division bench, the BFI claimed that the court's decision to stay the circular was made without addressing DABA's petition and that this oversight indicated a lack of thorough consideration and a rushed decision-making process with serious consequences. It further argued that the order showed a lack of "application of mind," as it was issued without including the returning officer (RO)—former Delhi High Court judge RK Gauba, who is overseeing the elections—as a party.

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