Observer appointed to hold JFI election: Govt to HC

The government today informed the Delhi High Court that it has appointed an observer to hold the elections to the Judo Federation of India (JFI).
A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar appointed a returning officer for the poll.
It asked the returning officer to scrutinise the electoral process and look into whether the persons contesting the election were eligible for the post in the federation.
The bench said no one will be allowed to participate in the election or cast a vote in violation of the Act.
It listed the matter for further hearing on February 26, when the court will be informed about the outcome of the poll for the judo body.

The court was hearing a plea by Arjuna Awardee judoka Yashpal Solanki, seeking appointment of an impartial observer for the elections to the JFI.

The plea had highlighted the issue of alleged racketeers indulging in supplying bogus participation certificates to disqualified judokas (Judo players).
Solanki, who is also a senior intelligence officer in the Punjab Police, stated in the PIL that fake sports certificate racket has been running since 2001.
These certificates are used for back-door admissions to medical colleges and appointment in government services, he has alleged.
With regard to the elections to the JFI, the petition states that "either a government appointed or court appointed administrator can hold free and fair organisational elections of the JFI as election under the influence of respondent no.5 (President Mukesh Kumar) can never be free and fair."

However, counsel for Kumar informed the court that he was not contesting the election or will interfere with the poll in any manner.
The PIL, filed through advocate Pathak Rakesh Kaushik, has alleged that Mukesh Kumar was indulging in "fraud practices in the election affairs."
It has also claimed that voters from Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura State Judo Associations were "dishonestly excluded" from the electoral college, while those from Border Security Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Central Reserve Police, All India Police Sports Control Board and Services Sports Control Board were unlawfully included.