SC orders status quo, says Delhi HC-appointed CoA will not take over affairs of sports body

New Delhi, Aug 18: The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered status quo and said that the Delhi HC-appointed three-member Committee of Administrators (COA) will not take over affairs of Indian Olympic Association.

A bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana took note of the submissions of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta that the appointment of the CoA may lead to the Association's suspension by the International Olympic Committee as it happened in the case of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) recently.

The bench agreed to hear the appeal of the IOA during the day after finishing the hearing of listed matters. The Delhi High Court on August 16 had ordered the setting up of a three-member CoA to manage the affairs of the IOA. The high court said the "persistent recalcitrance" of the IOA to comply with the Sports Code made it imperative that its affairs be put in the hands of the COA comprising former Supreme Court judge Justice Anil R Dave, former Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi, and former Secretary of Ministry of External Affairs Vikas Swarup.