J&K Olympic Association election declared null and void by High Court

29/09/2026

JAMMU, Sep 28: The High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh has declared the 2024 election process of the Jammu & Kashmir Olympic Association (JKOA) null and void, holding that the exercise was conducted in violation of the National Sports Development Code.
Justice Rahul Bharti pronounced the judgment on September 19 in a writ petition filed by Rajeev Sharma, who had challenged the election process and sought fresh elections in accordance with the applicable sports regulations.
The court examined the constitution, functioning and election process of the JKOA, noting that the association is affiliated with the Indian Olympic Association and that its administration and elections are required to conform to the governing sports framework.
The court held that the JKOA was required to first overhaul and revise its constitution to bring it in alignment with the National Sports Development Code and the constitution of the Indian Olympic Association, and only thereafter conduct elections.
Justice Bharti also examined the circumstances surrounding the December 2024 election. The court noted that Dushyant Sharma, the outgoing General Secretary, was elected President, while several other office-bearers were declared elected on December 15, 2024. The judgment records that four electors, including the petitioner, had registered written protests and did not participate in the polling.
The court also considered the issue of repeated tenure of office-bearers and the applicability of the National Sports Development Code to the JKOA. It rejected the respondents' contention that the Code was not applicable to the association and held that the JKOA could not continue under an outdated constitutional framework while its parent body, the Indian Olympic Association, had aligned itself with the Code.
"Accordingly, this Court declares the impugned election process conducted as being in negation of the National Sports Development Code, and is declared null and void," the court said in paragraph 123 of the judgment.
The court further directed that the constitution of the JKOA be revised in alignment with the constitution of the Indian Olympic Association and the National Sports Development Code before a fresh election is conducted.
For this purpose, Justice Bharti appointed a two-member Committee of Administrators comprising retired District and Sessions Judges Chain Lal Bavoria and Virender Singh Bhau to take over the administration and management of the JKOA, oversee revision of its constitution and thereafter conduct the election process. The committee has been directed to submit its report to the High Court by January 29, 2027.
The JKOA and Dushyant Sharma have also been directed to hand over the entire record relating to the association to the Committee of Administrators. All affiliated sports associations in the Union Territory have been directed to cooperate with and comply with the directions issued by the committee.
The petitioner was represented by Amit Gupta, Gaurav Sadotra and Sumit Moza, Advocates. The respondents were represented by Vishal Sharma, DSGI; M. K. Bhardwaj, Senior Advocate; Gagan Kohli, Senior Advocate; Abhinav Sharma, Senior Advocate; Ajay Vaid, Anshuja Tak and Vikas Magotra, Advocates, as recorded in the judgment.
The writ petition was accordingly disposed of by the High Court.

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