KATHMANDU, Dec 23: The top leadership of the Nepal Olympic Committee (NOC) has pushed through the process of electing the board of directors of the committee despite an interim order of the High Court instructing the committee to not hold the election.
A single bench of judge Brajesh Pyakurel of the Patan High Court had issued an order on December 2 to stall the election process until the court reaches a final decision on the appropriateness of the timing of an amendment of the NOC’s statute proposed by NOC President Jeevan Ram Shrestha to enable himself to run for a third consecutive term.
However, Shrestha’s majority faction of the committee decided to schedule December 23 as the day for filing candidacy for the election. This illegal action from the NOC drew the attention of the National Sports Council (NSC), which wrote to the Ministry of Youth and Sports (MoYS) on Sunday to stop the election based on the order of the high court.
Under Secretary Sudarshan Marahatta, chief of the Sports Association Coordination Section of the MoYS, informed Republica that the ministry, in turn, wrote to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) on Monday morning to stop the ongoing election process. “We wrote to the MoHA, requesting them to take necessary action immediately to stop the process of the election,” he said.
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As a result, the situation at the Nepal Olympics building in Satdobato remained tense throughout the day after a team of police officials from the District Police Range (DPR), Lalitpur, picketed the building, barring entry of NOC members and staff of the office.
SSP Shekhar Khanal, chief of the Lalitpur DPR, told Republica that the MoHA had instructed them to stop the filing of candidacy for the election and ensure security if the members of the rival factions within the NOC acted violently against each other.
Despite the action of the MoHA, President Shrestha’s faction forced the candidacy process by starting an online process for filing candidacy. According to the Secretary General of the NOC Nilendra Shrestha, the NOC has now started receiving candidacy for the executive board of the committee with the deadline of 11:30 pm on December 23. Members of President Shrestha’s panel have already registered their candidacy online.
Secretary General Nilendra Shrestha claimed that the change in the medium for filing candidacy is an anarchist move by Jeevan Ram Shrestha to conduct the election by hook or crook.
“The NOC president’s move to run for a third term is against the Sports Act of Nepal and the clause 25 (1) of the statute of the NOC which bars the incumbent president and secretary general to run for a third consecutive term,” Nilendra Shrestha told Republica, “Some of the members of executive board, although a minority in the board, are discussing action to stop the election.”
Under Secretary Marahatta told Republica that the NSC has the power to suspend the registration of the NOC at the council if it acts against the court’s order. “If the NOC holds the election against the court’s order or nominates Jeevan Ram Shrestha in the election against the Sports Act, the NSC has the right to suspend the registration of the NOC at the council,” he said.
According to SSP Khanal, although the police have no means to stop the online registration, the results of the election held illegally will be automatically invalid. “We cannot stop the online registration of candidacy,” SSP Khanal said, “However, the result of the election, if held against the order of the court, will be automatically considered invalid.”
Most of the aspirants for the upcoming term's executive committee, except Nilendra Shrestha and Vice President Sunil Kumar Shrestha, have already registered their candidacy. Nepal Rafting and Canoeing Association President Rajiv Shrestha has registered his candidacy for the post of General Secretary from the Jeevan Ram Shrestha’s panel. Nine candidates, including current vice president and president of the Tennis Association Jyoti Rana, have filed their candidacy for the post of seven vice presidents.
Ramji Bahadur Shrestha and Tashi Ghale have filed their candidacy for the post of treasurer. Three individuals have filed candidacy for the three positions of secretary and five individuals have filed candidacy for member of the executive committee.
