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On March 7, 2025, Anurag Singh Thakur, who represents the Himachal Pradesh Boxing Association (HPBA), along with Larry Kharpran of Meghalaya, Asish Kumar Saha of Tripura, and Delhi state body members Rohit Jain and Neeraj Bhatt, were deemed ineligible for the Electoral College. The disqualification was ordered by the President of the BFI, Ajay Singh (Respondent No. 2), following approval from the Returning Officer, Justice (Retd.) R.K. Gauba. The rejection of nominations was based on the claim that Thakur was not an elected member of the HPBA, which he sought to represent in the Electoral College.
The Himachal Pradesh High Court, on Thursday, directed the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) to accept the nomination of Bharatiya Janata Party Member of Parliament Anurag Singh Thakur. The court made these observations in a petition filed by Thakur challenging the communication that disqualified Thakur and several other nominees from the Electoral College.
The bench of Justice Ajay Mohan Goel held, “Further, a perusal of the powers and duties of the President demonstrates that there is no power whatsoever conferred upon the President to unilaterally issue any notice etc. akin to either a Rule or Regulation of the Boxing Federation of India”.
The court examined the Memorandum of Association, noting that the BFI aimed to promote the spirit of friendly competition among athletes and held full control over the participation of boxing teams at international events. The court also noted that the Federation’s membership was open to all State and Union Territory Boxing Associations with a governing body regulating boxing.
The court observed that the Federation’s General Council, not the President alone, held the authority to elect office bearers and Executive Council members every four years. The Council comprised various officials, including the President, Secretary General, Treasurer, eight Zonal Vice Presidents, eight Zonal Joint Secretaries, and two accredited representatives from each member association. The interpretation and implementation of the Federation’s Rules and Regulations also fell under the jurisdiction of the General Council, reinforcing that the President did not have unilateral decision-making power.
“The President as an individual does not enjoys any power to explain or interpret or implement the Regulations of Boxing Federation of India and give decisions on any point not covered therein”, the court outlined.
The court reviewed the process for constituting the Electoral College. As per the Rules and Regulations, each member association was required to nominate two voters, with authorization from the President or General Secretary of the respective association. The court observed that the rules do not impose any restriction that only elected members from an Annual General Meeting (AGM) notified to the Federation could be nominated. The court found that the impugned communication dated March 7, 2025, contradicted this mandate and was issued without legal authority.
“There is no rider mentioned in the Rules and Regulations that only those persons can be nominated as members by a member association, who are duly elected members during the election AGM duly notified to BFI of the State Unites etc. as has been ordained by respondent No.2 vide impugned communication dated 07.03.2025. Therefore, this Court has no hesitation in holding that prima facie it is evident that notice, dated 07.03.2025 (Annexure P-2) has been issued by respondent No.2 without any authority and without any power under the Rules and Regulations of respondent No.3, which supplants the provisions of the Rule and Regulations and does violence with them”, the court highlighted.
Based on its analysis, the court held that the communication dated March 7, 2025, issued by the President, lacked legal validity and violated the Federation’s Rules and Regulations. Consequently, the rejection of Anurag Singh Thakur’s nomination was deemed legally unsustainable.
Considering the balance of convenience in favor of Thakur and the potential for irreparable harm, the court granted interim relief. It stayed the operation of the communication dated March 7, 2025 and directed the BFI to recognize the nominations of Anurag Singh Thakur and Rajesh Bhandari as valid and to proceed with the election process in accordance with the Federation’s Rules and Regulations.
Furthermore, the court also instructed the BFI to extend the last date for nomination submission, thereby allowing Thakur to file his nomination and participate in the AGM. Therefore, the court allowed the petition and quashed the impugned communication.
For Petitioner: Senior Advocate Abhinav Mukerji with Advocates Chaitanya Mahajan, Amit Kumar Dhumal, Richa Thakur, Parul Negi, Padamja Sharma and Devang SharmaFor Respondent: Deputy Solicitor General Balram Sharma, Senior Advocate R.L. Sood with Advocates Arjun Lall Sood and V.B. VermaCase Title: Himachal Pradesh Boxing Association v Union (CWP No. 3714 of 2025)
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