SC Agrees To Hear Plea Related To All India Football Federation

The Supreme Court today agreed to list for hearing a plea on issues related to the All-India Football Federation (AIFF), including objections raised to certain aspects of its draft constitution.

A bench comprising of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, Justices PS Narasimha and JB Pardiwala took note of submissions of senior advocate Rahul Mehra, who filed a PIL on the issue in the Delhi High Court, that the matter needed a hearing.

“It will not be deleted (from the cause list) on the next date of hearing,” stated the bench while declining the submission that the matter be kept high on board.

Mehra submitted that “The matter is urgent and has not been heard for quite some time.”

On February 9, the top court said it must bring the curtain down on issues plaguing the AIFF, including those pertaining to the approval of its draft constitution.

The bench asked senior advocate Gopal Sankar Narayanan, assisting it as an amicus curia (friend of the court), to have a meeting with the counsels of all stakeholders and find out key objections to the draft constitution of the AIFF.

The top court directed the termination of the mandate of a three-member committee of administrators appointed by it in May last year to manage the affairs of the AIFF.

It modified its previous orders to facilitate the revocation of the suspension which was imposed on the AIFF by the international football federation FIFA and the holding of the Under-17 Women’s World Cup 2022 in India.

On May 18 last year, the bench appointed the panel headed by Justice (retired) Anil R Dave and ousted the NCP leader Praful Patel-led management committee that exceeded its tenure by over two-and-half years. The Dave-headed committee had former chief election commissioner S Y Qureshi and former Indian football team captain Bhaskar Ganguly as its members.

However, this came in the way of the holding of the Under-17 Women’s World Cup 2022 as no elected AIFF body was at the helm.

On August 16 last year, FIFA suspended India for “undue influence from third parties” and said the tournament “cannot currently be held in India as planned.” The country, however, later hosted the FIFA event from October 11-30 last year.