Read Time: 05 minutes
"It would create a sense of lack of clarity in the minds of the young sports persons and also would lower their morale and defeat their spirit," said the bench
With a vision to make our country a super power in sports, the Government of India has spiralled the Khelo India Movement to encourage sports, however, in pursuit for power and authority, Sports Associations are relentlessly involved in inter se conflicts between themselves, the Madras High Court recently said while expressing deep concern over this issue.
In a case pertaining to the Tamil Nadu Football Association, a division bench comprising Justices R. Mahadevan and Mohammed Shaffiq underscored that this struggle for power within various sports associations across the nation is leading to adverse consequences not only in terms of organizational stability but also adversely affecting the prospects of young athletes.
"It would create a sense of lack of clarity in the minds of the young sports persons and also would lower their morale and defeat their spirit," said the bench.
In a batch of pleas pertaining to the identification of office bearers of the Tamil Nadu Football Association, the division bench appointed an administrative committee led by retired High Court Judge A.K. Rajan and composed of two sports professionals, R. Basheer Ahmed, and Harjinder Singh, as well as legal experts Stalin Abhimanyu and Kanimozhi Mathi to oversee the affairs of the association until new office-bearers are elected.
The committee has been entrusted with the responsibility of convening a meeting with district-level sports associations to address their concerns and grievances before facilitating the elections for the state-level governing body. In addition, the committee has been granted the authority to manage day-to-day activities, including organizing matches and selecting players through a transparent and equitable process.
The committee has been also asked to conduct the elections for the district bodies too after finalising the voters’ list.
Authoring the order, the division bench wrote, "The spirit behind Khelo India Movement is to unearth the talent and potential from every possible part of our diversed and vast country, both in terms of landscape and population. However, in this case, due to the disputes between the plaintiffs and the defendants, some sports events, tournaments or competitions could not be conducted".
"Sport is always regarded as a potent tool to achieve human development such as psychological and physical rehabilitation. It is construed as a bridge, which would associate with peace and social mobilization by providing a physical foot point," it said.
Case Title: Tamil Nadu Football Association and Others v. Pennar Junior FC and Another
Please Login or Register
