Sports Ministry asks SFI to amend constitution in 90 days

The Sports Ministry asked the Swimming Federation of India to either hold fresh elections as per the government guidelines or risk de-recognition after three months.

New Delhi: Accusing the Swimming Federation of India of violating its own constitutional provisions, the Sports Ministry on Friday asked the body to either hold fresh elections as per the government guidelines or risk de-recognition after three months.

The ministry said government has examined the replies sent by the SFI in response to its showcause notice issued in July and found that proper procedures were not followed in the elections of the federation’s office bearers in May this year. “After careful consideration of all facts and circumstances in the instant case, it is unequivocally concluded that SFI has not only violated the government guidelines, which make it liable to de-recognition, but has also violated its own constitutional provisions in not following due process in the conduct of elections of its office bearers, which make it also liable for de-recognition as the national sports federation for swimming in India,” the Sports Ministry said in a letter to SFI. “However taking into consideration the larger interest of the sport and the sports persons engaged in it, the government hereby grants, as a last opportunity, 90 days to SFI to amend its constitution in accordance with guidelines for recognition of National Sport Federation...and hold the fresh election in fair, democratic and transparent manner following due process in accordance with the well formulated election bye-laws,” it added.Under secretary in the Sports Ministry Shankar Lal also gave a description of guidelines which need to be followed by the SFI during the process of their re-election. “The election bye-laws must incorporate, interalia, appointment of an independent returning officer, publication of voter list, issuance of notice for election by the Returning Officer inviting nominations in the prescribed form, indicating the dates of submission, scrutiny and with drawl of nominations, and publication of final list of candidates, holding of elections through a secret ballot for the post simultaneously, and declaration of results for all the posts together. Further there should be sufficient time gap between the different states of elections,” the letter said. The letter also enunciated the specific clauses which were not followed by the SFI during the election process of its office bearers. PTI