Aslam Sher Khan helped India win the gold medal in 1975 World Cup. (File)Olympian Aslam Sher Khan has sought the intervention of sports minister Kiren Rijiju after claiming that his ministry ‘is amending the sports code’ in a way that will make officials hold ‘posts which are declared unconstitutional and illegal by the Hon’ble High Court.’
Khan sent the letter to Rijiju on Monday, just days before the Delhi High Court hears his plea in which he alleged that Hockey India had created posts in violation of the Sports Code.
In August, the Delhi High Court asked the sports ministry and Hockey India for their stand on Khan’s plea. A member of the Indian team that won the 1975 Hockey World Cup, Khan alleged that Hockey India had violated the national sports code by creating posts like ‘life member’, ‘life president’ and ‘CEO’, which are not permitted under the rules. He had also filed a complaint with the sports ministry in July.
The petition in the Delhi High Court, filed through advocate Vanshdeep Dalmia, also sought quashing of the appointments of Narinder Batra and Elena Norman as the hockey federation’s life member and CEO respectively.
Khan, in his letter to Rijiju, cited the examples of other federations, like tennis and kho kho, that had abolished the post of life president after the sports ministry raised objections.
Khan wrote: “Other NSFs like tennis and kho kho have also been told to demit office due to the creation of such posts like ‘life member’ and ‘life president.’ Now I have been told that the MOYS is amending its Sports Code in order to make Mr Narender Batra eligible to hold such posts which are already declared unconstitutional and illegal by the Hon’ble High Court.”
He went on to seek Rijiju’s intervention in the issue. “I request your good office to intervene in this matter so that no such illegalities are committed in order to favour one person like Mr Narender Batra. The next date of the matter is on 28.11.2020.”