IOA internal feud takes a new turn
The internal feud in the IOA took a new turn on Wednesday with its Secretary General Randhir Singh releasing documents to support his claims that all the committees, which have been controversially scrapped recently, had been legally formed with the consent of the Acting President.
- Press Trust of India
- Updated: December 28, 2011 05:29 PM IST
The internal feud in the IOA took a new turn on Wednesday with its Secretary General Randhir Singh releasing documents to support his claims that all the committees, which have been controversially scrapped recently, had been legally formed with the consent of the Acting President.
In a bid to counter his critic and Senior Vice-president Tarlochan Singh who has demanded that the Ethics and other committees should formed again by the IOA President with the approval of the General Body, Randhir said these committees. were constituted by the acting president V K Malhotra himself.
Randhir claimed that a "game" is being played by some members within the IOA by raising the issue and wondered how the Acting President could be asked to re-form Ethics and other committees which were formed by him.
Stating that the formation of Arbitration Commission, consisting of two retired Supreme Court judges and six retired High Court Judges, was approved by Malhotra himself, Randhir wanted to know as to why was it scrapped in the first place.
Randhir also claimed that even the formation of the Ethics Commission with one (Retd.) Supreme Court judge along with two (Retired) High Court judges was through and by the signature of Malhotra.
"Three Other Committees -- Marketing Committee (Sponsorship and TV Rights), Olympic Games 2012 Monitoring Committee, London Olympic Games Ticketing Committee -- were formed by Malhotra through and by his signatures," he said in a statement.
Randhir and Tarlochan have been engaged in a war of words over the controversial scrapping of the Ethics Committee.
Randhir had yesterday said that Malhotra was fully authorised to form any committee, while IOA vice-president Tarlochan Singh had claimed that such a committee could not be formed without the approval of the general body.
Tarlochan said he was in favour of Ethics Committee and Arbitration Commission but wanted the general body to be involved in the entire process.
The IOA, in its General Body Meeting on December 15, had disbanded Ethics Committee and Arbitration Commission, triggering a virtual showdown between the Suresh Kalmadi loyalists and faction against him.
Tarlochan said that the general body was "unanimous" in scrapping all the committees formed in the last few months since it was not taken into confidence.
Randhir, on his part, said that the constitution of the sports body gave the president the power to form any committee or commission, stating that the president does not need the nod of the general body to form any body.
He had earlier also criticised the disbanding of the Arbitration Commission and Ethics Committee, saying it may attract International Olympic Committee's ire and will bring bad name to the country, already sullied by the Commonwealth Games corruption scandal.