Supreme Court orders status quo, says Delhi HC-appointed CoA will not take over affairs of IOA

NEW DELHI: In an interim relief, the Supreme Court on Thursday ordered status quo and said the Delhi High Court-appointed three-member Committee of Administrators (COA) will not take over the affairs of the Indian Olympic Association.

A bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana took note of the submissions of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre and the IOA, that the world sports body does not recognise any un-elected bodies like the CoA and consequently, India may be barred from taking part in international sports events.

The top court took note of the submissions of the law officer that the order may have negative repercussions on the nation and granted the interim relief ordering status quo into the affairs of the IOA.

Consequently, the Delhi High Court-appointed COA, comprising former Supreme Court judge Justice Anil R Dave, former Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi, and former Secretary of Ministry of External Affairs Vikas Swarup, will not be able to take IOA over.

The Supreme Court has now posted appeal of IOA for further hearing on August 22.

Earlier in the day, the solicitor general sought urgent hearing and said the appointment of the CoA may lead to the Association's suspension by the International Olympic Committee as it happened in the case of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) recently.

The Delhi High Court on August 16 had ordered the setting up of a three-member CoA to manage the affairs of the IOA.

The high court had said the "persistent recalcitrance" of the IOA to comply with the Sports Code made it imperative that its affairs be put in the hands of the CoA.