NEW DELHI: As customarily witnessed during electoral times of national sports federations (NSFs), accusations of manipulation, misappropriation of funds and irregularities surface for electoral advantage – occasionally legitimate but predominantly motivated.
Ahead of the forthcoming Boxing Federation of India’s (BFI) elections – scheduled for March 28 in Gurugram – the sports body’s president Ajay Singh on Tuesday suspended his own secretary general Hemanta Kalita and treasurer Digvijay Singh after allegedly being found guilty of “misusing their positions, favouritism in granting contracts during the REC Talent hunt and utilising the BFI’s funds for private trips on numerous occasions”.
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As per the findings of the one-member inquiry committee under former judge of the Delhi high court, Justice (retd) Sudhir Kumar Jain, the investigation found both Kalita and Digvijay liable for action on five counts – tender process violation; fraudulent bills for hotels, ambulances and other services; misrepresentation of technical officials; misuse of federation funds for personal travel and misuse of foreign currency allocation.
In the suspension letter signed by Singh, he wrote: “This letter is to formally inform you that pursuant to a complaint received from the Sports Authority of India (SAI) regarding alleged financial irregularities and mismanagement of funds, the president, BFI, appointed hon’ble Justice (retd) Sudhir Kumar Jain to conduct an independent investigation into the matter. Justice Jain has concluded his investigation and submitted his report, which has found both of you guilty of serious charges of financial irregularities and mismanagement of funds. The findings of the report establish a clear breach of fiduciary duties and responsibilities expected from individuals holding key positions within the federation. In light of the gravity of the findings and to ensure the integrity and transparency of the federation’s operations, it has been decided to suspend you both from your respective positions with immediate effect”.
Reacting to his suspension, Kalita told TOI: “Regarding the findings of the inquiry committee, if any misappropriation of funds has occurred, it will be the president himself who will be first held accountable as he, along with the treasurer, is the one who signs all the cheques and authorises financial transactions. Also, this committee was never approved in the BFI’s executive committee or general house meeting”.
“As far as my suspension goes, it’s totally illegal on the part of Singh to issue such a letter. After the announcement of elections by the Returning Officer (RO R K Gauba), the current executive committee of the BFI stands dissolved and there’s no federation. The president has no authority to suspend me. I will definitely pursue legal recourse against this irregular suspension,” Kalita added.
In his report, Justice Jain noted that the complainant rightly alleged that the tender process was not followed and initial quotation for services for multi-national training camp, which was held in Rohtak, was prepared by Kalita and Digvijay without calling meeting of the finance committee, which was a mandatory requirement. The committee also observed that Kalita issued work orders on Sep 12, 2024 before receiving the appropriate quotations for the same.
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