Supreme Court sets next hearing on 16th April as AIFF's Draft Constitution case nears endgame

Supreme Court has been reviewing objections to the AIFF’s draft constitution.

After the commencement of the hearings on establishing a draft constitution for the All India Football Federation (AIFF), the Supreme Court of India considered objections raised by counsel on April 2. After listening to arguments from senior advocate Ranjit Kumar and senior advocate Menaka Guruswamy, the honorable court has heard all objections regarding the draft constitution.

An SC bench consisting of Justices PS Narasimha and Joymalya Bagchi heard all the arguments from both senior advocates before setting a fresh hearing date on April 16 at 2 PM. The next hearing is rumored to be a decisive moment in the draft constitution proceedings as Indian football fans anticipate a swift resolution in the coming weeks.

The objections regarding the AIFF draft constitution

Since July 2022, the draft constitution has been ready, however, multiple objections have delayed its approval. The April 2 hearing set the perfect stage for AIFF to share all their concerns with the draft constitution and both senior advocates were asked to present their case in 60 minutes each.

Senior advocate Kumar began the proceedings by highlighting objections over the fielding of all amendments in front of the bench. Kumar also called for the setting up of a 12-member committee in place of a 10-member committee as enshrined in the draft constitution, which will include three vice presidents and one woman representative.

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The objections over the cooling period for certain posts

Senior advocate Kumar also argued that the cooling off period be limited to the posts of Secretary and the Treasurer positions, according to the existing sports code. He also put forward his arguments before the SC bench of wanting the draft constitution to be aligned with the National Sports Board and FIFA statutes.

Following his hour-long arguments, Justice Narasimha also shared his delight over the summation of the arguments within the mandated time. While all the points raised by AIFF might have some sort of validity and are worth discussion, the objections might further delay the drafting of the new constitution.

The slow process and explanation of details have complicated things for all parties involved and led to greater frustration in the Indian football community. As fans continue to closely monitor the proceedings, the future of the current AIFF executive committee and president Kalyan Chaubey remains yet to be addressed.

With arguments heating up and the conclusive hearing of all objections, the hope for the Indian footballing community will be a strong constitution that serves as a guiding light for Indian football in the future.

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