Odisha High Court stays Hockey India elections and pauses show-cause notice
The Odisha High Court on Friday stayed Hockey India's elections scheduled for December 5 and put on hold the federation's October 7 show-cause notice to the Hockey Association of Odisha while hearing a writ petition. A single-judge bench of Justice RK Pattnaik passed the interim order.
The writ petition was filed by the Hockey Association of Odisha challenging the minutes of Hockey India's 120th Executive Body meeting held on October 6 and the show-cause notice issued on October 7, 2026. Hockey India had proposed reclassifying the state body from a permanent member to an associate member in the October 7 notice, citing eight grounds of concern. Among those grounds, the federation alleged serious deficiencies in the functioning of HAO's 30 district units and said key positions such as president and secretary in all 30 district associations were held ex officio by administrative officials, including District Magistrates and Sub-Collectors, rather than being filled through elections. Hockey India also said none of the district units had submitted election notices, minutes or results to establish that their governing bodies had been constituted through a legitimate electoral process, and the state association argued the show-cause notice was legally unsustainable because the term of the current Executive Committee of Hockey India had already expired on September 30.
During the hearing, Odisha Advocate General P Acharya drew the court's attention to the sponsorship agreement and the contribution of the Odisha government to Indian hockey. The court record notes that, since 2018, Odisha has been the official sponsor of India's senior and junior men's and women's national teams and that the state has committed to continuing its support until 2036. The court issued notices to Hockey India directing it to file the necessary requisites within seven days.
The order arrives amid an escalating power struggle within Hockey India between president Dilip Tirkey, former Rajya Sabha member from Odisha, and secretary general Bhola Nath Singh, with internal differences over administrative decisions, governance and the conduct of executive committee meetings. The dispute surfaced publicly after the change of the Indian teams' jersey colour from traditional blue to saffron ahead of the FIH World Cup in August; Tirkey maintained that the decision was taken without his knowledge or the approval of the Executive Board, while Bhola Nath subsequently contradicted his version, claiming that the president was aware of the decision and its approval process.
Tensions increased after Tirkey issued a show-cause notice to Hockey India Director General Cdr R K Srivastava on eight grounds and divested him of all his responsibilities, an action Bhola Nath questioned the legality of. Tirkey also objected to the convening of the 120th Executive Committee meeting by Bhola Nath, alleging it was called without the president's prior approval or consultation.
The court has required Hockey India to submit the specified documents within seven days and has listed the matter for the next hearing on December 9.