Delhi HC stays EFI's proposed Extraordinary General Meeting on Sunday

New Delhi, Aug 16 (PTI) The Delhi High Court has restrained the Equestrian Federation of India (EFI) from holding the proposed Extraordinary General Meeting (EOGM) on Sunday and noted that there are serious disputes about virtually every facet of the functioning of affairs of the sports body.

EFI Secretary General Col Jaiveer Singh had on August 2 issued a notice for the EOGM on August 17 but the Rajasthan Equestrian Association (REA) approached the court for a stay.

The Court on Friday stayed the EOGM, saying, "There appeared to be no rationale to further confound the uneasy state of affairs in EFI by convening an EOGM" and set October 13, 2025 as the next date of hearing.

The agenda items including nomination of an interim president, finalise the 2025 calendar, approval of selection trials for FEI Asian Championship and set the selection criteria for 2025 Youth Asian Games, 2026 Asian Games, and approval of payments.

Among other issues to be discussed were reason behind the creation of a separate e-mail ID for the organisation and acceptance of membership applications.

"We had approached a few days. Col Jaiveer wanted to have a few decisions passed. He wants to run the EFI as a one-man show. There are bogus clubs as members, through which he can get passed any decision," REA President Raghuvendra Singh Dundlod told PTI from London.

"It needs to be seen if the clubs are genuine or not. There are four genuine and major army units -- ASC, RVC, 61 Cavalry, and the President's Body Guard. If they come through the Services Sports Control Board (SSCB)they will be welcome as per the NSDC 2011.

"But the bogus clubs need to go before the fresh election. That is the only way forward. The elections have to conducted under the Sports Code," he added.

It may be mentioned that the Sports Ministry had in November 2021 exempted EFI from following two key provisions of the Sports Code including having at least two-thirds of the states and union territories as members.

"These exemption have also been challenged in the court," said Dundlod. Col. Jaiveer Singh said they are considering challenging the court decision.

"It's not a correct judgement. It is against the members. There are important decision to take. We have to finalise the calendar and until we do that events can't be held. The athletes will suffer. We are contemplating next course of action," Col. Jaiveer told PTI.

The Equestrian Federation of India's Executive Committee (EC) was reinstated by a Delhi High Court order on May 29, 2024, which overturned a previous appointment of an Ad-Hoc Committee.

This decision restored the control of the EFI's affairs to the democratically elected 2019 Executive Committee.

The Court-appointed observer SY Quraishi recently mentioned in his report to the court that the endless bickering among the executive committee members was eroding the goodwill of the sports body.

The Delhi High Court had entrusted former Chief Election Commissioner Quraishi with the task of overseeing the functioning of EFI while responding to a petition from REA in November 2019. PTI AT AT KHS KHS