Delhi HC asks Suresh Kalmadi to quit as IOA chief

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday asked Suresh Kalmadi, president of Indian Olympic Association (IOA), whether he will quit the post - which he has been holding on to for around 18 years - "gracefully" and warned that it will issue show cause notice if he chooses to continue in the post.

A division bench of Acting Chief Justice A.K. Sikri and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw also asked two other office bearers V.K. Verma and Lalit Bhanot, who have completed eight years in service, to respond on the issue while making it clear that if they continue to hold the office, show cause notices will be issued to them.

The court said that according to the National Sports Development Code of India, 2011, the President of IOA cannot hold the position for more than 12 years, but Kalmadi has been holding the post for around 18 years.

"As per the guidelines, he (Kalmadi) is not eligible to be a president of IOA. He is not eligible to hold the post, so why should he want to continue as president," the court asked.

The court's order came on a PIL filed by advocate Rahul Mehra seeking fresh elections to the office bearers of the IOA. (IANS)