Court orders fresh EFI elections

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday ordered fresh elections in the Equestrian Federation of India (EFI) and also called for the constitution of an independent ad-hoc administrative committee to oversee its functioning.

The matter was listed at Item No. 4 before Court 14 presided over by Justice Kaurav, who was hearing an application filed by the Union of India seeking the appointment of an ad-hoc administrative committee to administer the affairs of the EFI. The court was informed that the existing Executive Committee had been re-instated in view of the Paris Olympics 2024 and that its tenure had since expired.

The Rajasthan Equestrian Association submitted that elections to the EFI were long overdue. The court was also apprised through a brief note that the National Sports Governance Act, 2025 has come into force, providing a statutory framework for the governance of National Sports Federations (NSFs) in the country.

It was further informed that the National Sports Governance (National Sports Bodies) Rules, 2026 have also been notified. Rule 18 of the Rules mandates that all NSFs amend their bye-laws in accordance with the provisions of the 2025 Act. Taking note of the new legal framework, the court observed that elections must be conducted in the EFI.