HI to move SC against stay orders; FIH threatens sanction

New Delhi, Jul 28 (PTI) Forced to put off its polls for
the fourth time, Hockey India Wednesday decided to move the
Supreme Court against the stay order of the Bombay High Court
even as the world body (FIH) threatened to impose sanctions
on India if elections were not held at the earliest.
On a day of rapid developments, the Bombay High Court
first stayed HI elections, which was scheduled to be held here
Wednesday, for three weeks on a petition filed by the Mumbai
Hockey Association.
If that was not enough, in the afternoon the Delhi High
Court also stayed the poll process following the government's
failure to clarify the legal position regarding HI and the
Indian Hockey Federation (IHF), which forced the HI to
postpone its elections.
With the HI likely to miss FIH's July 31 deadline
for the elections, its lawyer Hitesh Jain said they were left
with no other option but to move the Supreme Court to sort out
the court cases in various states.
"We are moving the Supreme Court within two days time
against the Bombay High Court's stay order. There are court
cases in almost every state, so we will ask the Honourable
Supreme Court to take all the cases and solve them at the
earliest in the best interest of our national game," Jain
said.
As expected, the election postponement did not go down
well with FIH, which warned India of dire consequences after
the national body failed to conduct its polls.
FIH vice-president Antonio von Ondarza, who was also the
international body's observer for HI polls, said they cannot
afford to give any further provisional acceptance to HI and it
was time to act or face sanction.
"This time I expected to have a drink with my newly
elected HI office bearers rather than facing this situation.
We are deeply hurt because we have put all our effort," a
disappointed Ondarza told reporters.
"At this point of time I can't say what will happen
because I need to consult my other board members. But HI is
still not in compliance with our guideliness. We had given
provisional acceptance to HI but come July 31, these
provisions won't exist.
"It is now the duty of all the parties concerned in
India, including the government to set the ball rolling. We
don't want to take any drastic steps but please don't force us
to do it," he said.
Ondarza said FIH is no mood to harm the players' interest
by imposing sanction but if elections were not held within a
few days time, it will be left with no other option, which
means India will be barred from participating in the women's
World Cup in Argentina, starting next month. More PTI