Praful has no mandate to run AIFF: Sports Ministry to Supreme Court

New Delhi: The Sports Ministry has informed the Supreme Court that the All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Praful Patel has no mandate to run the sport body, as he has served his three terms as president and the national body should hold elections without further delay.

The ministry's reply came after it filed an affidavit before the apex court on April 8 in relation to the Special Leave Petition (SLP) in which lawyer Rahul Mehra is one of the respondents along with the Union of India.

The ministry, in its reply (IANS is in possession of the copy), confirmed that Patel and his committee have no mandate to hold on to their offices. Speaking to IANS, Rahul Mehra questioned the predicament of the ministry, saying why it had not taken any action against AIFF's office bearers when they have no rights to hold the posts.

"Why hasn't the ministry taken any action till now? Why didn't they hold elections when their tenure was over? And, now, the ministry has come with this kind of reply when the case is under judicial consideration. It's nothing, now the ministry wants to get rid of the current AIFF president and the whole exercise is for that," Mehra told IANS.