Judo body faces derecognition for going against Sports Code

Judo Federation of India (JFI) president Mukesh Kumar has put his association on the brink of suspension by getting into direct confrontation with the sports ministry over the non-compliance of the National Sports Development Code.

This is the result of the ministry's objection that Kumar, who was secretary general in JFI for two successive terms, has flouted tenure guidelines of the Sports Code by taking over as president, replacing Jagdish Tytler in August 2013.

According to sources, Kumar has now been summoned by the ministry for a personal hearing on May 27. JFI would be the second sports federation after the All India Tennis Association (AITA) that is facing de-recognition by the government for not following the guidelines.

As per the Sports Code, it is mandatory to have a cooling-off period of four years before a secretary seeks re-election after two successive terms. In Kumar's case, he was unanimously elected president of the JFI at its AGM in Imphal without serving the cooling-off period.

dna has reliably learnt that Kumar had sought a personal hearing from the ministry, requesting it to give the national federation an opportunity to present its case on the matter related to its 2013 election, for which JFI faces de-recognition.

"If Kumar refuses to step down as president or fail to provide a satisfactory explanation to the ministry, it would not only result in de-recognition of the JFI but also in his ouster as the secretary general of the Judo Union of Asia (JUA)," the source informed on Thursday.

The news has come at a time when Kumar was elected unopposed as the secretary general of the JUA at its Ordinary Congress in Kuwait earlier this week. JFI's de-recognition could also seriously impact the hosting of next year's Asian Cadet and Junior Judo Championships in Kochi as the Asian body will have no choice but to shift the meet outside India.

Decision on AITA likely after May 27 

Meanwhile, the meeting between the All India Tennis Association (AITA) and the ministry to resolve the Sports Code issue has been rescheduled to May 27 following a request from its president Anil Khanna.

The ministry had asked Khanna to step down since he was required to serve a four-year cooling off period before being elected to the top job. It must be mentioned that Khanna held the post of secretary general in the AITA between 2000 and 2012, before taking over as president in October last year. The tennis body has threatened to move the court if the ministry goes ahead with its decision.