Delhi HC Seeks Boxing Federation Of India’s Reply On Plea Challenging Aug 21 Polls; Hearing Set For Aug 18

Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court on Thursday issued notices to the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) and the central government in response to a petition seeking to halt the upcoming BFI elections scheduled for August 21.

Justice Mini Pushkarna heard the plea filed by the Delhi Amateur Boxing Federation (DABF), along with boxing bodies from Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat, and fixed August 18 for final arguments.

The court also clarified that any election held before that date would be subject to the outcome of the writ petition.

The petition challenges a circular issued by BFI’s Interim Committee on August 1, which announced a revised election schedule and introduced new federation rules—allegedly without convening the mandatory Annual General Meeting (AGM), and in violation of a Delhi High Court order dated March 19.

The DABF has demanded that elections be held under the existing constitution, overseen by the original returning officer, former Delhi High Court judge R.K. Gauba, who had stepped down amid internal strife and allegations of a smear campaign.

The petitioners accused the Interim Committee of bypassing democratic processes and enforcing a new constitution without consensus. In response, BFI’s legal counsel argued that the revised constitution has backing from 30 of 34 affiliated state units and has been ratified by World Boxing, the sport’s international governing body.

The central government, through the Sports Ministry, has reportedly stressed the need to keep sports administration free from arbitrary political influence.

The current row stems from prolonged leadership uncertainty in the BFI, after its elected term expired in February. Elections set for March were postponed following legal challenges, prompting World Boxing to install an Interim Committee and mandate fresh polls by August 31 to restore governance.