Indian Olympic Association forms ad-hoc panel to run Indian Equestrian Federation
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has formed a four-member ad-hoc committee to run the affairs of the Equestrian Federation of India (EFI), acting on the directions of the Delhi High Court, which had called for the restoration of democratic governance in the sport.
According to the IOA office order dated March 27, the ad-hoc panel will be chaired by Yashodhara Raje Scindia, while Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) Director (Governance) Francisco Lima, advocate Vidushpat Singhania and Colonel Ashok Yadav will serve as members.
The IOA said the committee has been constituted with immediate effect to “administer and govern the EFI” and initiate a reform process to conduct free elections and establish a duly elected executive body.
This development follows the Delhi High Court’s February 18 judgment in which it had directed the IOA to form an ad-hoc committee, noting that the tenure of the EFI Executive Committee had ended in September 2023 and there is no electoral mandate to continue it now.
Elections in the EFI have been pending ever since, prompting judicial intervention.
The court had earlier allowed the reinstatement of the then Executive Committee as a stop-gap arrangement in the lead-up to the Paris 2024 Olympics to ensure continuity in athlete participation, while underlining that a permanent solution must be pursued.
As per the IOA order, the ad-hoc committee will act as a caretaker and transitional body with full administrative, financial and regulatory control, including operation of EFI’s accounts, conduct of competitions and monitoring of selection processes.
It is also tasked with aligning the EFI’s constitution with the National Sports Administration Act, 2025 and 2026 regulations, restructuring its membership structure and conducting free and fair elections.
The panel will have to finalize the constitution and bylaws within two months and notify the elections within 30 days thereafter.
The IOA clarified that the ad-hoc committee will remain in place only until the newly elected executive committee takes charge, after which it will be dissolved.
Some of the EFI EC decisions have recently come under scrutiny, such as sending rape accused Tarsem Singh Waraich on bail in a sexual assault case, after the head coach of the Indian tent pegging team for the World Cup qualifiers in Jordan in January.
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