Allowing the plea of 2004 Olympics silver medallist shooter Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, the Delhi High Court today ordered the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) to hold elections within eight weeks for four members from the category of life members in Wide Life Association.
Accepting Rathore's allegation that he was deprived of an opportunity to contest the elections for the sports body as the NRAI had nominated eight members including four in the Wild Life Association (WLA), a bench of justices S Ravindra Bhat and Najmi Waziri upheld the single judge's order setting aside the nomination of its members.
Rathore's counsel Maninder Singh said, "Although the single judge had quashed the four other annual members for Shooter Association, the bench did not pass any order as no one challenged the nomination."
"The court also allowed 36 office bearers, who were elected on April 6 for various posts of NRAI, to assume their office," he said.
"As per the court order, in case Rathore wins the election and he wants to contest for the post of any office bearer, then NRAI has to conduct a fresh election of those 36 members," Singh said.
The single judge in April had allowed the plea of Rathore challenging the nomination of four members to Wild Life Association and said, "No election which has been held after depriving the persons desirous of contesting the chance to contest can be held to be a valid election and cannot be given any recognition.
"... That the nomination, instead of election, of eight members of the NRAI's General Body be declared as "nullity".
NRAI's the then president had nominated eight members to Wife Life Association (4) and Shooters Association (4) for its general body.
