Gujarat HC stays State Olympic Association elections amid allegations of irregularities
Updated: Apr 16th, 2025
Gujarat High Court has put a stay on the much-anticipated elections of the Gujarat State Olympic Association (GSOA), scheduled for April 20. The decision came after a writ petition was filed by the Gujarat State Rifle Association and the Gujarat Volleyball Association, challenging the legality and transparency of the election process.
Presiding over the matter, Justice Mona M Bhatt issued the stay order and sent notices to the state government’s Sports, Youth and Cultural Activities Department, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), and the GSOA. The court has sought detailed responses from all parties involved and scheduled the next hearing for June.
The petitioners alleged that the upcoming elections were being conducted in violation of the National Sports Development Code of India (2011) and the IOA’s rules.
Advocate Dhaval Manubhai Barot, representing the associations, argued that the process was arbitrary, biased, and aimed at extending the long-standing dominance of a select few families that have controlled the GSOA for the past 47 years.
Key violations cited in the petition include:
–Candidates above 70 years of age being allowed to contest.
–Individuals holding office for more than the permitted two terms.
–Lack of mandatory representation allegedly for women in key posts like vice president and joint secretary.
The petition further demanded:
–Immediate cancellation of the current election notification.
–Appointment of a retired High Court judge as an independent administrator for the GSOA.
–Submission of all financial and administrative records to the court-appointed administrator by the current executive committee.
–This legal intervention marks a potential turning point in Gujarat’s sports administration, aiming to bring transparency and accountability to one of the state’s most influential sports bodies.
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