Supreme Court Rejects Vidarbha Hockey Association's Plea, Cites One-State-One-Body Rule For Olympic Sports

The Bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Dipankar Datta allowed the association to withdraw its Special Leave Petition (SLP) after observing that no grounds for interference with the Bombay High Court’s order were made out.

The Bombay High Court, in its decision dated June 26, 2024, had upheld Hockey India’s decision to revoke the association’s membership, a move the Vidarbha Hockey Association challenged as arbitrary, claiming to have held associate member status until 2013.

During the hearing, the association’s counsel argued that other sports like cricket and kabaddi allow multiple associations. However, the bench clarified that unlike those sports, hockey is an Olympic discipline governed by the Indian Olympic Association’s rules, which permit only one recognized body per state.

The Bench further noted that even the Mumbai Hockey Association had been derecognized under the same rule. The Bench also questioned the association's decision to approach the Supreme Court directly via writ petition instead of the high court.

With the Court inclined to dismiss the petition, the association opted to withdraw it voluntarily.