Delhi High Court flays Kabaddi body, appoints administrator

NEWDELHI: The Delhi High Court on Friday quashed the appointment of Janardan Singh Gehlot and his wife as “Life President” and president of the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI), saying that they held the body to “ransom” by treating it as their “family enterprise”.

The High Court also appointed retired IAS officer Sanat Kaul as administrator to oversee the affairs of the federation till fresh elections are held. The verdict came on a plea filed by former Kabaddi player and Arjuna awardee Mahipal Singh and others challenging the appointments of Janardan Singh Gehlot, a former Congress minister, and his wife Mridula Bhadauria Gehlot.

The court observed that there was an “apparent anarchy” prevailing in the affairs of the AKFI and said it was appalled at the manner in which every mandatory condition “was ignored with impunity” by the couple.

Janardan Singh Gehlot is also the current president of International Kabaddi Federation.

He had held the post of president of AKFI for 28 years before his wife took over.

The High Court also struck down as “illegal” the amendments carried out in Memorandum of Association and Constitution of the AKFI and held that it did not have any authority to create a post of “Life President” when the National Sports Development Code of India (NSCI) did not contemplate the existence of any such post.

It said that as a beneficiary of the recognition conferred by the government, the AKFI was bound by the stipulations contained in the NSCI, and other guidelines issued by the Centre, and had no authority to create posts “de hors” (outside the scope of) and in excess of, those contemplated by the sports code.

The court directed her to render accounts of all financial benefits since the time of her appointment on May 19, 2013 and ordered that the amount be recovered.