India, March 20 -- On Wednesday, the Delhi High Court declined to grant an immediate stay on the Indian Olympic Association's (IOA) decision to form an ad hoc committee to oversee the operations of Ski and Snowboard India (SSI).

The court requested a response from the IOA and scheduled the next hearing for May 19.

The IOA had issued an order to establish a four-member ad hoc committee, led by six-time winter Olympian Shiva Keshavan, in response to multiple complaints regarding administrative mismanagement within the winter sports federation.

Formed on October 16, this committee was tasked with conducting elections for the Executive Committee and managing the federation's operations.

Justice Sachin Datta's bench issued the order following a request from the federation's counsel, Neha Singh, who argued for a stay on the IOA's decision. She noted that SSI had received an email on March 12 from the International Ski and Snowboard Federation, indicating that there was no official confirmation from the Union Sports Ministry regarding the federation's recognition.

Justice Datta remarked to Singh, "Given that the contested order dates back to October 2023, this court is not prepared to issue a stay without first hearing from both parties. I will schedule a hearing in six weeks. Do you now seek a stay?"

In its petition, SSI argued that the order was issued in contravention of the IOA constitution and without providing an opportunity for the organization to present its case. It further contended that the IOA lacked a legitimate basis for the order, as the elections were conducted with the oversight of observers appointed by the IOA's executive committee. SSI noted that the ad hoc committee, since its establishment, has made no efforts to organize elections.

The petition emphasized, "It is important to highlight that the ad hoc committee, which was formed illegally, arbitrarily, and unilaterally, has not attempted to conduct elections in the past 1.5 years and has failed to comply with the directive to involve any judges from the Hon'ble Supreme Court or any High Court as mandated in the contested order. Consequently, the actions of this improperly constituted ad hoc committee demonstrate its intention to displace the Petitioner without holding elections for an indefinite duration."

Additionally, the federation's plea requested the reinstatement of the elected body.

In response, the counsel for the IOA opposed the petition, asserting that the federation was not recognized as a National Sports Federation (NSF).

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