Delhi HC disposes of writ petitions in VFI elections matter

On August 11, 2026, the Delhi High Court disposed of a batch of writ petitions concerning elections to the Executive Committee of the Volleyball Federation of India (VFI). The Court directed the Steering Committee to hold fresh elections expeditiously, in conformity with the National Sports Governance Act, 2025.

Acting on this direction, the Steering Committee issued a notification on August 26, 2026, appointing an Election Officer, followed by a further notification on August 29, 2026, laying down the election schedule. Separately, it extended the deadline for the Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit (SOM) data-collection exercise to September 18, 2026.

The dispute traces back to an order dated May 9, 2025, in which the Court had directed elections for a newly constituted interim body of VFI to be completed within four weeks. The process was to resume from the point at which the Court’s order had earlier halted it.

Following the May 2025 order, an Election Officer/Returning Officer appointed by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) held elections on June 7, 2025. The resulting interim body received conditional recognition from the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB). However, by letter dated April 21, 2026, the FIVB appointed a Steering Committee to oversee VFI’s administrative affairs, and on April 22, 2026, both the Union of India and the IOA revoked the recognition previously granted to the interim body.

With the National Sports Governance Act, 2025 having since come into force, counsel for all parties agreed that the new statute now mandatorily requires fresh elections. Accordingly, the Steering Committee’s August 26, 2026 notification appointed Justice (Retd.) Ashish Naithani as Election Officer. He is tasked with determining State/UT eligibility afresh and finalising the Electoral College strictly under the 2025 Act, including provisions governing the participation and voting rights of SOMs.

The individual writ petitions separately challenged eligibility determinations made by the earlier Election Officer/Returning Officer. W.P.(C) 2103/2024 specifically sought exclusion of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Daman and Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Sikkim from the Electoral College. W.P.(C) 9483/2025 additionally sought quashing of the June 7, 2025 election results.

The Court held that, with fresh elections now mandated, the newly appointed Election Officer should independently decide the petitioners’ eligibility, without relying on the earlier officer’s findings. On the exclusion plea in W.P.(C) 2103/2024, the Court directed a de novo reconsideration of the named States’/UTs’ eligibility. It further held that W.P.(C) 9483/2025 had become infructuous, since both the IOA and FIVB had already revoked the interim body’s recognition. The Court accordingly disposed of all petitions and pending applications, and affirmed the Steering Committee as the competent authority to carry the election process forward.