Orissa High Court Stays Hockey India Elections, Show-Cause Notice Against Hockey Odisha

The interim order came while hearing a petition challenging the legality of Hockey India’s actions concerning Hockey Odisha’s membership status and the conduct of elections within the national federation.

Appearing for the State, Advocate General Pitambar Acharya argued that Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey and Secretary General Bhola Nath Singh had been elected in 2022 and that their tenure had expired on September 30.

The petition questioned the authority of the Secretary General to issue a show-cause notice proposing the withdrawal of Hockey Odisha’s permanent membership and its conversion into an associate member body.

The petitioner further contended that Hockey India’s election process violated prevailing sports governance norms, as district-level hockey association elections across the country had not yet been completed.

It was also argued that the Central Government had advised national sports federations to defer elections until December 31.

During the proceedings, the State maintained that any attempt to alter Hockey Odisha’s membership status while the dispute remained unresolved was arbitrary and contrary to established legal principles.

The court was also informed about Odisha’s substantial contribution to the promotion of hockey in the country.

According to submissions made before the court, the Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC) contributes more than ₹30 crore annually towards hockey development and has provided nearly ₹105 crore over the past three years.

After considering the submissions, the High Court issued an interim stay on both the Hockey India election process and the show-cause notice served to Hockey Odisha.

The matter has been scheduled for further hearing on December 9. Until then, the stay order provides temporary relief to Hockey Odisha while the court examines the issues raised in the petition.