AICS Prez wants Attorney General's involvement in NSF recognition mess

All India Council of Sports President Vijay Kumar Malhotra has urged Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju to ask the Attorney General or Solicitor General to represent the case of the ministry so as to restore recognition to 54 National Sports Federations. The ministry was forced to revoke the recognition it had given in early June due to the Delhi High Court's order.

"IOA (Indian Olympic Association) and International Federations have not withdrawn the recognition of these federations. In view of this, I request you to appoint the Attorney General/Solicitor General to represent the case and immediately appeal in the High Court & Supreme Court to annul the High Court directive to withdraw the recognition of practically all sports federations in the country," Malhotra wrote in a letter to Rijiju on Thursday.

"I also request you to call a meeting with All India Council of Sports (AICS) Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and some leaders of NSFs to end the current situation and make a consensus among all stake holders."

On Wednesday, the High Court directed the ministry to revoke the provisional recognition it had given to 54 NSFs on May 11. The court had said that the ministry by doing so has not complied with an order that was issued on February 7 this year.

The order had required the ministry and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to "inform the court in advance" while taking "any decision in relation to the NSFs."

Sports Ministry Deputy Secretary SPS Tomar on Thursday wrote a letter to SAI Director General Sandeep Pradhan saying: "I am directed to refer to this Ministry's letter of even dated 02.06.2020 regarding renewal of annual recognition of National Sports Federations for the year 2020 and to say that in compliance of the order dated 24.06.2020 passed by the Hon'ble Delhi Court, the department's letter of even number dated 02.06.2020 granting provisional annual recognition of 54 NSFs stands withdrawn."

The court in its order on Wednesday said that the ministry "shall issue a fresh notice within two days intimating all the 54 NSFs concerned that its order giving provisional renewal till 30.09.2020, stands recalled."