Bhubaneswar: The ongoing tussle over the governance of hockey in Odisha took a fresh turn on Thursday after Hockey Odisha welcomed a Delhi high court order that referred Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey’s challenge to the national federation’s election process to its internal grievance redressal mechanism.The development comes days after the issue snowballed into a political controversy in Odisha, with opposition BJD targeting the BJP govt over what it described as a decline in the state’s standing in Indian hockey following Hockey India’s proposal to downgrade Hockey Association of Odisha (HAO) from permanent to associate member status.According to Hockey Odisha, Delhi high court disposed of Tirkey’s writ petition and directed that the grievances be examined through HI’s internal mechanism in line with its bye-laws. Former Supreme Court judge Justice A K Sikri is set to head the grievance redressal committee that will look into the matter.Hockey Odisha described the court’s decision as a moral victory for those seeking greater transparency and accountability in the administration of the sport.
