PANAJI
Goa Cycling Association’s worries away from the cycling velodrome are not going away in a hurry, instead they are piling up with every passing day and months.
Adding to the list of troubles away from the sporting action for the GCA and its office bearers is yet another court case.
If the application before the JMFC Mapusa court for registration of FIR in the inflated bills of the National Games 2023 was not enough, the GCA is bracing up for another legal battle this time revolving around the upcoming October 18 Executive Committee elections of GCA.
A group of individual cyclists and cycling groups have filed a joint petition in the High Court of Bombay, Goa bench and have made Government of Goa through it’s Chief Secretary, Registrar of Societies Government of Goa, Sports Authority of Goa Government of Goa, Directorate of Sports and Youth Affairs Government of Goa, Goa Olympic Association through its Secretary General and Cycling Association of Goa, parties to the petition.
The 14 petitioners, who are based in different parts of Goa have prayed to the Court: “For a writ of mandamus or any other writ, direction or order in the nature of mandamus, inter-alia, directing the Respondent No. 2 (Registrar of Societies Government of Goa) to take over the management of the Respondent No. 6 (Cycling Association of Goa,) forthwith for a limited period as may be decided by this Hon’ble Court.
They have also prayed for “For a writ of mandamus or any other writ, direction or order in the nature of mandamus, inter-alia, directing the Respondent No. 2 and 6 (Registrar of Societies, Sports Authority of Goa, Directorate of Sports and Youth Affairs) to throw open the membership of the CAG to all interested cyclists, individuals, schools, cycling clubs / associations / entities associated with the sport of cycling in Goa in accordance with the Constitution of the CAG and after a pre-defined period which may be decided by this Hon’ble Court, to direct the Respondent No. 2 (Registrar of Societies) to conduct free and fair elections to the office of the Respondent No. 6 (Cycling Association of Goa) and hand over the management of the CAG to such freshly elected office bearers.”
They have also prayed to the court that the newly inducted members of GCA be given the right to vote at the October 18 elections.
They have also prayed that the court direct the Registrar of Societies or any other independent authority to conduct a proper and thorough inquiry into the mismanagement of the affairs of the GCA.
The Petitioners say they have invoked the jurisdiction of the High Court under Article 226 of the Constitution of India.
“The Petitioners are also aggrieved by the functioning of the Respondent No. 5 (Goa Olympic Association) contrary to the intention with which it was established, with serious concerns including restricting the memberships to the cronies of the present Committee, irrespective of their inclination to the cycling sport, devised clearly as a scheme to perpetuate perpetually control the Association, embezzlement of funds, complete collapse of its administration etc. which warrant interference from this Hon’ble Court.”
The petition also makes a mention of the inflated bills of the National Games 2023, where in bills worth more than Rs.14 lakhs were submitted to Sports Authority of Goa for a Residential camp which never took place instead a day-camp took place.
Cycling Association of Goa is a Society registered under the Goa Societies Registration Act and is also registered with Goa Sports Authority of Goa and a member of Goa Olympic Association.
