Ranjit Bajaj went to court over the delayed elections to the Indian football governing body

Football administrator and businessman Ranjit Bajaj has approached the court seeking urgent intervention over the delay in All India Football Federation executive committee elections, saying there is no reason to suspend the election process.

Bajaj sought directions to the AIFF to immediately announce its election schedule and complete the entire process, including declaration of results, within the time limit set by the court.

The legal challenge comes as the AIFF prepares to transition to a new electoral framework under the Sports National Governance Act 2025, a process which has led to the federation postponing its elections.

Bajaj, however, argued that the AIFF’s own constitutional alignment was already complete and that further delays were unwarranted.

JUDICIAL PRESSURE FOR ELECTIONS

In his writ petition, according to PTI, Bajaj sought a court order or any other appropriate direction asking the AIFF to conduct the elections strictly in accordance with its constitution and the National Sports Governance Act.

He also asked the court to ensure that the election process is completed within a clearly defined time frame.

The petition goes a step further and seeks temporary restrictions on the current AIFF Executive Committee. Bajaj pressed for a trial prevent the current body from making major political, financial or other decisions that could have long-term or irreversible consequences for the federation until new elections are held.

The cause of action also seeks any other remedies the court may deem appropriate.

At the heart of Bajaj’s challenge is whether the AIFF can continue to delay its election while the wider process of aligning the state football associations with the new governance framework is ongoing.

QUESTION OF STATE SETTLEMENT

Bajaj’s petition claims that affiliation of state associations should not be made a condition for holding elections to the national body.

Relying on the July 17 judgment in the All India Tennis Association case, he argued that compliance by state associations cannot be considered a sine qua non for holding elections to the national sports federation.

According to Bajaj’s argument, the AIFF has already adopted a constitution that is in line with the National Sports Governance Act and has completed the necessary constitutional amendment at the national level.

According to him, the newly elected executive committee can subsequently supervise the process of bringing state associations into compliance with the new framework.

The petition therefore directly attacks The AIFF’s decision to wait before starting its election process.

Bajaj urged the court to order the federation to announce the election schedule as soon as possible and end the uncertainty surrounding its leadership.

The case could now have significant implications for the governing structure of Indian football, particularly as the AIFF navigates the transition to a national sports governance law while questions continue to loom over the timing of its next election.

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Issued by:

Amar Panicker

Published on:

08 Sep 2026 19:50 IST