Synopsis
The Boxing Federation of India's Annual General Meeting has been postponed due to the suspension of its elections by Justice (retd) RK Gauba. A new date will be announced following a revised election schedule.Key Takeaways
- BFI's AGM postponed due to election suspension
- New date to be announced after election schedule revision
- Conflicting High Court orders complicate election process
- IOA forms committee to manage BFI operations
- Initial election date was before February 2
New Delhi, March 26 (NationPress) The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Boxing Federation of India (BFI), originally slated for Friday, has been postponed following the suspension of the federation's elections by returning officer Justice (retd) RK Gauba.
BFI President Ajay Singh stated that a new date for the AGM will be established once the Learned Returning Officer provides a revised election timetable. Furthermore, the organization will communicate these developments to World Boxing for further guidance.
"This decision was prompted by the order dated 21.03.2025 issued by the Hon'ble Justice R.K. Gauba (Retd.), the Returning Officer tasked with overseeing the BFI elections for the term 2025-2029.
"The Learned Returning Officer has noted that due to court directives and the subsequent necessary additions to the electoral college list, it is practically unfeasible to proceed and complete the election process within the originally established timelines as per the Model Election Code," a letter from Singh to all BFI members read.
The BFI elections were suspended by returning officer R. K. Gauba last Friday because of conflicting orders from two High Courts.
The Delhi High Court has mandated that the BFI continue the election process and that the petitioners, specifically DABA, be allowed to participate.
Conversely, the Himachal Pradesh High Court has instructed the BFI to extend the nomination deadline to enable Anurag Thakur to submit his nomination and represent the Himachal Pradesh Boxing Association (HPBA) at the BFI's AGM, fully participating in all aspects, including contests for any BFI position.
"These two orders were issued by their respective High Courts after the scrutiny of nominations was completed on 18.03.2025 and the List of Valid Nominations was published on 19.03.2025, in accordance with the schedule released on 12.03.2025.... This requires certain steps to be taken by BFI under the Rules and Regulations and the Model Election Code.
"Considering that the Model Election Code specifies timelines for the election process, it has become practically impossible to continue and finish the electoral process under the current schedule, given the mandated additions to the Electoral College List," the March 21 order from Ld RO RK Gauba stated.
The nomination period was from March 14 to 16, while the scrutiny of nominations occurred on Tuesday, as per the election timetable set forth by Justice (retd) RK Gauba.
The BFI was initially expected to conduct elections before February 2. However, due to delays and increasing complaints of mismanagement, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) established a five-member ad-hoc committee, including senior boxer Shiva Thapa, to oversee the organization's daily operations until all issues are resolved.
On March 4, a day after the Delhi High Court annulled the IOA's ad-hoc panel, the BFI announced the overdue election dates, with Secretary General Hemanta Kalita notifying that the BFI's Annual General Meeting would take place on March 28 under President Ajay Singh's chairmanship.
