Hockey elections in India put on hold as Odisha HC intervenes in governance dispute

The Odisha High Court on Friday stayed the Hockey India elections scheduled for December 5 and the Odisha Hockey Federation’s notification that it had proposed relegation from a permanent member to an associate member.

A single-judge bench of Justice RK Pattnaik passed the interim order while hearing a plea filed by the Hockey Association of Odisha challenging the minutes of the 120th meeting of the Hockey India executive held on October 6 and the show cause notice issued on October 7, 2026.

The next meeting will be held on December 9.

Hockey India issued a notice to the Hockey Association of Odisha on October 7 proposing to relegate it from a permanent member to an associate member for alleged non-compliance with the national federation’s constitution.

The national federation raised eight grounds for concern, including what it described as serious deficiencies in the functioning of the 30 district HAO units.

According to the federation, key posts such as president and secretary in all 30 district associations are held ex officio by officials, including district magistrates and sub-collectors, instead of being filled through elections.

Hockey India also said that none of the district units submitted election notices, records or results to prove that their governing bodies were constituted through a legitimate election process.

The state association argued that the show-cause notice was legally unsustainable as the tenure of the current Hockey India executive committee had already expired on 30 September.

Amid infighting, Hockey India’s election to select office bearers for the 2026–2030 term was scheduled to be held on 5 December.

Odisha Advocate General P Acharya during the hearing also drew the court’s attention to the sponsorship deal and Odisha government’s contribution to Indian hockey.

As of 2018, Odisha has been the official sponsor of the Indian senior and junior men’s and women’s national teams, and the state has pledged to continue its support until 2036.

The court issued a notice to Hockey India and directed it to file the necessary documents within seven days.

The court order comes amid an escalating power struggle within Hockey India between president Dilip Tirkey, a former Rajya Sabha member from Odisha, and general secretary Bhola Nath Singh, with disputes over administrative decisions, governance and the conduct of executive committee meetings threatening to overshadow the functioning of the federation.

The rift between the two senior officials first came to light after the controversial change of the Indian teams jersey color from traditional blue to saffron ahead of the FIH World Cup in August.

Tirkey claimed that the decision was taken without his knowledge or the approval of the Executive Council, while Bhola Nath subsequently contradicted his version, claiming that the President was aware of the decision and its approval process.

The differences further escalated after Tirkey issued a notice to Hockey India CEO Cdr RK Srivastava on eight grounds and relieved him of all his duties. Bhola Nath questioned the legality of the action.

Tirkey also protested the convening of the 120th meeting of the Bhola Nath Executive Committee, alleging that it was convened without the President’s prior approval or consultation.

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