The Odisha High Court has stayed the upcoming elections of Hockey India, which were scheduled to take place on December 5. In addition, the court has placed an interim stay on the show-cause notice issued by Hockey India to Hockey Odisha, which had proposed stripping the state unit of its permanent membership and downgrading it to an associate member.
Interim Court Order
A single bench led by Justice RK Pattanaik issued this interim order while hearing a writ petition filed by Hockey Odisha. The petition specifically challenged the proceedings of Hockey India is 120th executive committee meeting held on October 6, along with the consequential show-cause notice that was issued on October 7. The state unit argued that the executive actions taken during this period lacked legal standing.
Tenure Expiry Debate
The final hearing for this legal matter has been scheduled for December 9. In its submission, Hockey Odisha argued that the show-cause notice was legally unsustainable because the existing executive committee of Hockey India had already completed its official tenure on September 30. Consequently, questions were raised regarding the authority and validity of a committee issuing notices well after its term had expired.
