IOA to re-constitute Ethics Committee

Apparently under pressure from the International Olympic Committee and amid a continuing tug of war among its own members, the IOA has re-constituted the Ethics Committee with a few additional judges within weeks of its controversial scrapping.

The Ethics Committee and the Arbitration Commission, disbanded at the IOA AGM on December 15, have been more or less retained with the addition of two judges in each of the panel, it is learnt.

An official release on the new panels will be issued on Wednesday, acting IOA President V K Malhotra said.

The development of reforming the committees came amid a raging internal feud between IOA Secretary General Randhir Singh and Senior vice-President Tarlochan Singh, who is said to belong to the pro-Kalmadi faction.

According to a senior member of the Randhir Singh faction, the decision to form the committees quickly was taken because of the fear that the IOA could be disbanded by the IOC.

But this claim was strongly contested by the rival faction, which said that the committees formed earlier did not have the approval of the General Body and were therefore illegal.

"We have only corrected the procedures and reformed the committee. There is no question of any threat hanging over our heads," he said.

It is also learnt that the anti-Randhir faction had circulated a document in which they had raised objections over the manner in which these commissions were formed.

"We would like to point out the IOA General Body meeting in Ranchi approved the formation of these two commissions, the procedure for appointing members to these important commissions, and the rules for these commissions were not discussed there. The IOA Constitution lays down that the General Body shall appoint all committees and commissions as and when necessary," the document said.

"In fact since the ratification of the rules and the formation of the commission were not listed in the agenda of the General Body, the members felt that it was appropriate to ensure that the proper procedure was followed in drawing up the rules for these commissions.

"The House unanimously decided to annul the formation of the commissions and authorised that the acting President take corrective and then secure the ratification of the House. It is significant that none of the office-bearers, including the acting president and the secretary general raised a dissenting voice," it added.

The document was prepared to be issued as a press release but was withheld.

The internal feud in the IOA came out in the open when Randhir and Tarlochan engaged in a war of words over the scrapping of Ethics Committee.

While Randhir Singh maintained that the IOA President V K Malhotra is fully authorised to form any committee, Tarlochan claimed that such a committee could not be formed without the approval of the general body.

Tarlochan said he was in favour of Ethics Committee and Arbitration Commission but wanted the general body to be involved in the entire process.