SC Hands Reins of Kabaddi Federation to Elected Body

In an order dated February 6, 2025, the Supreme Court asked Justice (Retd.) S P Garg, the administrator of the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI), to hand over control of the Federation to the newly formed governing body elected in December 2023.

This decision, made in light of the ensuing Asian Women’s Kabaddi Championship 2025, follows a letter from the International Kabaddi Federation (IKF) on the same date, which assured that if an elected body takes over the Federation, AKFI’s affiliation will be restored, and Indian players will be allowed to participate in the Iran championship.

The Asian Women’s Kabaddi Championship, initially scheduled for February 20 to 25, has been rescheduled to March 6 to 8.

Background

In August 2018, the Delhi High Court quashed the appointment of former minister Janardan Singh Gahlot and his wife as “Life President” and president of AKFI. The Court remarked that they treated the Federation as a “family enterprise”. Retired IAS officer Sanat Kaul was appointed as the administrator to oversee the AKFI’s affairs. The position was later assumed by Justice Garg, whom the High Court appointed in the following month. The December 2023 election to form a new governing body was declared invalid by the Delhi High Court due to non-compliance with the National Sports Code 2011. As a result of this uncertainty, the IFK suspended AKFI last year.

Supreme Court’s Previous Order

In its previous order dated February 4, 2025, the Supreme Court slammed the politicisation of sports administration in the country. Certain veteran kabaddi players alleged that the IFK was a private company registered in Jaipur with Gahlot’s residence as its address.

It was claimed that Gahlot had altered the AKFI’s rules to appoint himself as its ‘life president’ and had controlled the federation for 40 years before his death. The founding directors of the IKF were reportedly Gahlot, his son, and close associates, who allegedly used the ban to leverage the kabaddi team and control the sport.

The Court emphasised the need for strong measures to restore fairness, transparency, and autonomy to the election process, particularly to oust those who had monopolized the Federation for their vested interests.

The Court urged the Solicitor General of India to explore diplomatic channels for resolution of the conflict regarding the recognition of sports associations, have the CBI suggest an investigation mechanism for effective domestic and international probe, and determine the validity and transparency of AKFI’s electoral roll, ensuring that state units were represented by duly elected or nominated persons for AKFI’s governing body elections.

Federation’s Charge Handed Over to Elected Body

In the February 6 ruling, the Supreme Court clarified that the handover of the Federation’s charge does not imply recognition of the newly elected governing body. It also emphasized that the issues raised in the previous order would need to be resolved eventually. Additionally, the Court sought a status report on the participation of Indian players in the upcoming championship.

The matter will be heard next on April 17, 2025.