SC reserves order on AIFF elections

On October 31, the High Court had set aside the election of Praful Patel as the president of the AIFF and called for fresh elections within five months.

Praful Patel may now have to step aside as AIFF president.

The Supreme Court on Friday reserved its orders on AIFF's Special Leave Petition seeking a stay on a Delhi High Court order which set aside the election of its president Praful Patel.  

On October 31, the Delhi HC had appointed former chief election commissioner S.Y. Quraishi to oversee the day-to-day affairs of AIFF. conduct elections in five months and amend the constitution.

Hearing the AIFF petition on Friday, the bench said it may appoint a former footballer as ombudsman to help Quraishi. "We can appoint an eminent footballer as ombudsman along with the former Chief Election Commissioner."

Rahul Mehra, who filed the petition against AIFF, was asked to suggest names of possible candidates.

Speaking to Sportstar , Mehra said he has recommended the names of former India captains Bhaskar Ganguly and Manoranjan Bhattacharya.

Until the final judgement, the status quo will remain and Quraishi will oversee the administration of AIFF.

The AIFF had maintained that its election process was as per the FIFA (International Football Federation) and AFC (Asian Football Confederation) statutes and also adhered to the National Sports Code.