Justice Krishna Bhat Denies Office Entry By BFI Bouncers, Delhi HC Appointed Him As Administrator

Former Karnataka High Court judge Justice P Krishna Bhat has approached the Delhi High Court, alleging that former Basketball Federation of India (BFI) office bearers (respondents) used bouncers and security guards to prevent him from entering the office.

On the basis of Justice Bhat’s plea, a single bench of Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh issued a notice to the respondents, seeking the initiation of contempt of court proceedings against them.

“Comply with the order passed on May 2, 2023. Meanwhile, issue notice to the respondents. Notice to be made returnable on June 1,” the bench stated.

On May 2, 2023, the Delhi High Court appointed Justice Bhat as administrator of the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) and directed him to hold new elections for the federation’s governing body.

Soon after receiving the order, the administrator directed that all office documents, including cheque books and bank passbooks, be brought before him.

Appearing for Justice Bhat, Advocate Aman Hingorani stated that Bhat had also directed that the BFI office not issue any cheques or make any decisions without his approval.

The banks were also informed of this decision and were instructed to obtain audited, detailed accounts for the previous three years and present them to him.

However, when the judge attempted to enter the BFI office, he was denied entry because the respondents had deployed heavy security and bouncers who did not allow anyone to visit the office.

This would also be a hindrance for holding the elections in terms of the judgment passed on 2nd May, 2023.

“The working of the BFI has been severely impacted, with the BFI being unable to issue even certificates to the players, further jeopardizing their careers,” the plea stated.

The bench ordered the BFI officials to cooperate with the court-appointed administrator and also issued notice to them on the contempt plea.