IGU election will be held as per schedule, says Returning Officer

By Rahul Banerji

A day after Indian Olympic Association president P.T. Usha advised the Indian Golf Union to avoid delays and hold its December 15 election on time, Returning Officer Justice O.P. Garg mase it clear the poll process could not be altered.

In a statement on Saturday, the retired Allahabad High Court judge said he was acting to clarify doubts over the issue and since the poll process had been notified, only he was authorised to make amendments or changes to the schedule.

Last week, the sitting governing body of the IGU said the election was being postponed indefinitely as Justice Garg had resigned as Returning Officer, This was rebutted by the former judge and the IGU was also informed by the IOA president that it would not be advisable to change the schedule.

In a statement, Justice Garg said he was acting to clear the air in the matter as confusion had arisen over the December 15 deadline and the process of nomination, scrutiny, withdrawal etc would proceed as announced.

Following is the Returning Officer’s statement in full.

Order

A number of SGAs. have approached me to clarify whether IGU elections are to be held or not.

It is brought to the notice of all concerned that this confusion/misunderstanding has come to be created on account of unauthorised, uncalled for intemperate correspondence/letters sent by the President or the Director-General of the IGU.

They have also referred to the decisions taken by the Council of IGU.

In this state of confusing situation, I am duty bound to clarify that the election process is on and cannot be throttled by any agency once the process has commenced.

I was appointed by the letter dated 10th November, 2024 as Returning Officer for the election of the office bearers and members of Governing Council on 15th December,2024.

I notified the Election by sending Schedule containing various steps date-wise to all the 31 SGAs. In response thereto most of the SGAs have sent names of their representatives entitled to vote.

It is not understandable which facts and circumstances impelled the President, Council or the DG of IGU to cancel or postpone the elections. This unauthorised and totally uncalled for step has been taken by these authorities in a most blatant illegal manner.

They have forgotten or ignored the basic well settled proposition of law that once election process is set in motion, it cannot be annulled or interfered with by any authority, may be the Council or the President.

The entire election process is to be supervised by the Returning Officer. He alone is seized of the whole process.

Without dilating over the matter any more, I, in my capacity as the Returning Officer, hereby declare and inform that the whole process of election shall go on and completed as per schedule already circulated.

There should be no confusion about it. SGAs shall ignore all the correspondence which has been made hitherto or may be made in future by the Council, President or DG of IGU.

Those SGAs which have failed to send the names of their nominees entitled to vote (on being misled by unauthorised messages referred to above) may do so within two days, i.e., 2nd December, 2024.

The Director-General IGU and the supporting staff shall make themselves readily available for purposes of fulfilling of various steps of election as notified.

30th November, 2024

(Justice O.P. Garg)

Returning Officer IGU Election-2024

Also read: IOA steps in after IGU postpones its election ‘indefinitely’