ROLI PATHAK Vs. UNION OF INDIA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The National Games for the year 2023 have already begun. Going by the schedule of Games, the competition in the discipline of Volleyball is between 2/11/2023 and 6/11/2023 at Panaji. However, it transpires that a decision was taken by the 3rd respondent - which is stated to be the Adhoc Committee in charge of the Volleyball Federation of India ('Federation' for short) - to cancel the championships, solely because there are internal rifts between the persons in the administration of the said Federation.

(2.) I do not propose to go into the details of the conflict within the Volleyball Federation of India; but suffice to say, the learned Standing Counsel for the 2nd respondent - Indian Olympic Association, Sri.Piyush Kumar, explained that because of this, his client had to appoint the 3rd respondent - Adhoc Committee, in June 2023. He then explained that the Adhoc Committee is focused on conducting elections to the 'Federation' and that since they were also busy with the just concluded Asian Games, they obtained no time to devote for selection of team to the National Games. He then added that, therefore, the Volleyball competitions have been cancelled for the National Games; and that a National Championship for the said discipline is now proposed, but was unable to inform this Court the specific dates for the same. In fact, his submissions were that it is only after the office bearers of the 'Federation' are properly elected, can the same be done.

(3.) It is rather distressing that persons like the petitioners - who are Volleyball players and were training hard for the National Games for the last several months - have been placed in the present predicament. Their chance to participate in the prestigious National Games has been now thwarted, solely because there are conflicts among persons who were expected to be in administration of the 'Federation'. This power conflict has unfortunately reached a situation where the competition in Volleyball itself has been taken out of the National Games; and one wonders whether it would be of any consolation for the petitioners, that it would be substituted by a National Championship, to be held sometime in the future, depending upon the elections to be conducted within the 'Federation'.