Now, an ad-hoc committee to run volleyball

The sports ministry has directed the IOA to form an ad-hoc panel to conduct fresh elections in the faction-ridden body.

The sports ministry has directed the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to form an ad-hoc committee to run the daily operations of the Volleyball Federation of India (VFI) and conduct elections to the Executive Committee (EC) of the faction-ridden body.

The Indian men's team is ranked 68th in the world while the women's team doesn't have an active ranking at the moment | Image for representation (REUTERS)

The ministry's order is a departure from its April 2021 stand — issued in compliance with the Delhi High Court order of March 2021 — that ruled against the need for a fresh election. The recognition of VFI as a national sports federation has not been renewed by the ministry since December 31, 2019.

In its latest order, issued on May 13, the ministry cited "longstanding impasse" and "persistent factionalism" among the reasons for its decision.

"The ministry has reconsidered the matter in the context of the longstanding impasse and the existing state of affairs that continues to affect the sport of volleyball in the country due to persistent factionalism in the VFI," the letter stated.

The VFI held two parallel elections to its EC on March 12, 2020, and March 15, 2020. While Achyuta Samanta was elected as president and Anil Chaudhary as secretary-general in the first election, Dr Anil Agrawal and Mohammed Khan took the top two posts in the second election. The two factions have been at loggerheads to wrest control of the federation.

"The athletes are facing several problems including lack of clarity regarding certificate of participation and their future prospects," the ministry noted.

The existing VFI, as per the letter, is not fully compliant with the sports code and doesn't have an Internal Complaints Committee to look into allegations of sexual harassment.

The ad-hoc committee will be tasked to conduct the elections within 45 days of its formation. Till the time a new EC — with a cap of 12 members — takes over, the ad-hoc committee will be responsible for the selection of athletes and sending entries for international meets.

The Indian men's team is ranked 68th in the world while the women's team doesn't have an active ranking at the moment.