Sports Ministry seeks consent to give provisional recognition to 57 NSFs; Delhi HC issues notice

The Delhi High Court on Friday issued notice to Rahul Mehra, who has filed a plea seeking a probe into the functioning of various sports bodies, on an application filed by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports seeking to grant provisional recognition to 57 National Sports Federations (NSF).

The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has filed an application before the high court seeking its consent for provisionally granting annual recognition to the National Sports Federations (NSFs).

A division bench of Justice Hima Kohli and Justice Najmi Waziri issued a notice to Mehra and listed the matter for further hearing on August 7.

The Ministry had filed the application after the Delhi High Court directed it to recall the decision to give provisional renewal of recognition to the NSFs.

The high court had, on June 24, asked the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sport to maintain status quo in respect of the decision to provisionally renew the annual recognition of 54 National Sports Federations till further orders.

The Ministry, in its current application, sought consent for the approval till September 30 submitting that due to COVID-19 lockdown the documents are yet to be scrutinized and the recognition be granted provisionally.

The application has also clarified that only those NSFs, which were recognised last year, will be recognised and added that the ones that have been suspended will continue to remain so.

The court today pulled up the government for taking the excuse of the pandemic over the delay on making a decision on the matter. "The lockdown happened in March end before that what were you doing," the bench asked.

Additional solicitor general Chetan Sharma, appearing for the Centre, argued that in compliance of the court's order the ministry had withdrawn the recognition.

They are seeking consent to give provisional recognition to only those who were registered with us prior to December 2019 and to three of those who have improved.

On February 7, the court has directed the Indian Olympics Association (IOA) and Sports Ministry to inform the court in advance while seeking to take any decision in connection with the NSFs.

The court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by advocate Rahul Mehra seeking a probe into the functioning of various sports bodies.

Mehra had drawn the attention of the court to the affidavit dated June 16 filed by the ministry, wherein, it has been stated that the Ministry proposes to restore the suspension/withheld government recognition of three NSFs, namely, Indian Golf Union (IGU), School Games Federation of India (SGFI) and the Rowing Federation of India (RFI).

( With inputs from ANI )