The Athletics Federation of India (AFI), along with Hockey India and All India Tennis Association, has withdrawn a Special Leave Petition before the Supreme Court. The AFI along with other appellants had approached the Apex Court during the pendency of a review petition at Delhi High Court.
A Bench of Justices L. Nageswara Rao and Justice B.R. Gavai granted permission to withdraw upon repeated persuasion of the respective advocates of sports bodies, having earlier threatened costs against the appellant for abuse of process.
The respective sports bodies have been aggrieved by the stay of elections in various sports bodies such as Indian Olympic Association, All India Football Federation, Archery Association of India (AAI) and Hockey India. The stay has been granted in petitions filed by Senior Advocate Rahul Mehra, who is the petitioner-in-person before the Delhi High Court. He submitted that the High court has been hearing the matter on a weekly basis would be decided by the Court.
Senior Advocate Neeraj Kishan Kaul appearing on behalf of the appellants submitted that elections have been stayed in the review petition and if the elections are not held, Indian Olympic Committee will be de-affiliated and Indian athletes will have to participate under the Olympic flag and not under their national flag.
Justice Rao: “The High Court is hearing the matter for 4 months and you come here and file an SLP, we will dismiss it with costs.”
Senior Advocate R. Basanth: “My Lordships will appreciate our anxiety! We don’t want to miss the bus.”
Justice Rao: if you were an individual, not this body Via Orders dated December 19, 2013, August 10, 2017 and August 31, 2017 the Delhi High Court had stayed the elections of Indian Olympic Association, Archery Association of India and All India Football Federation respectively.