Bombay HC gives HI 6 weeks to sort Maha affiliation issues

Mumbai: In yet another setback to the Hockey India elections, a Bombay High Court division bench on Thursday

directed HI to consider affiliation applications of all three units in the state -- Mumbai, Vidarbha and Maharashtra -- in six weeks` time before going for the polls. "The division bench of Justice D K Deshmukh and A R Joshi of the Bombay High Court today disposed off the petition filed by the Mumbai Hockey Association (MHA) and directed HI to consider the applications for affiliation of all three units within six weeks," petitioner`s advocate Vijendra Jabra said. "The division bench has ruled that until they consider the applications, HI cannot conduct the elections," Jabra said. The latest development came after the Maharashtra Olympic Association (MOA) yesterday disaffiliated MHA headed by Victor Ellis, saying it had received written complaints against the faction from different quarters. According to MOA secretary Babasaheb Landge the affiliation to the Ellis-led MHA was given on a temporary basis and its executive committee yesterday decided to withdraw the recognition after it had received complaints from other stakeholders of the game in the state, including Mumbai and Vidarba Hockey Associations. All the three units were members of the suspended Indian Hockey Federation, the forerunner of Hockey India. PTI