Sheekha Bureau
Port Blair, July 07: State Sports Council was formed sometime in 1966. Thereafter it continued to conduct sports in the era of no Sports Associations.
Suddenly in the year 2000, around 15 State level Sports bodies mushroomed in Port Blair with almost the same persons representing all these associations. Since then SSC has lost its glory.
Experts say that SSC has no legal sanctity because it is neither registered under societies Act nor any gazette Notification had been published to give it a legal platform.
Sports department continue to assert that SSC is a registered body. If it is a registered body, election of its Executive members should be held within a stipulated period from the General Body members. But it does not have any general body. Its byelaws also do not say anything about its general body members.
As the present SSC members are nominated by the Administrator, the very claim of it being a registered body does not hold any water. As per Societies Registration Act of 1860, nomination of all of its members is not allowed. Moreover any registered body cannot give finance to other Associations registered under societies Act.
Considering the fact that it is a nominated body, gazette notification should have been published to give it a legal standing. But it was not done. Legal experts say that until it has legal standing, it is only a tiger on paper with no tooth to bite. This is known to all the State level Sports bodies. So they continue to violate National Sports Code of India with impunity.
They very well know that SSC cannot challenge them in any platform. Moreover this questionable body called ‘SSC’ had given recognition to all these State level Sports bodies. This recognition is used to defame A &N in National arena.
Strangest part is that Chief Secretary is the President of this SSC. Sports lovers believe that he has been misguided by his close associates in Sports department to accept this portfolio without understanding National Sports development code of India 2011, Indian Olympic charter and National Sports Policy of 2001.
In this regard atleast four attempts were made to meet the Director of Sports personally and two mobile calls were made to get a comment on the legal position of SSC but the Director of Sports as usual, was unavailable for a comment.
