Indians For Guns

spacetraveller wrote:Today afternoon the Delhi High Court Stayed the recently held NRAI (Life members and Annual members) elections as well as the forthcoming NRAI general body elections on the 6th. of April. Would be good to get more clarity on the subject if anyone has more details.

Oggie wrote:Spacetraveller,

Just out of curiosity - how did you know about this when the judgement as well as the news article is dated in April ?

Dear All
 
We are forwarding herewith copy of rebuttal sent by President, NRAI on news item published in Hindustan Times on 1st May 2013
 
Shri Sukhvant Basra,
Sports Editor,
The Hindustan Times,
New Delhi.                                                                                                                                            New Delhi,
                                                                                                                                                                3rd May 2013.
 
 
 
Dear Mr. Basra
 
Thank you for giving the NRAI an opportunity to respond to the news article that was published by the HT on 1st May 2013 titled “it’s all for a family cause”.
 
The said article has cast serious aspersions on the NRAI, portraying it as an unprofessionally managed institution. In our defense, we submit the following:
 
1.       The NRAI is a professionally run institution governed by its Constitution & its affiliation to the ISSF
2.       The NRAI has the proud distinction of nurturing the largest tally of International medals for India
3.       The NRAI has been adjudged the ‘Best National Sports Federation’ for the year 2012 by an independent committee of FICCI headed by Justice Mukul Mudgal (Retired), who incidentally also chaired the special consultative committee that recommended to the GOI the draft of the National Sports Bill
4.       The NRAI was the first National Sports Federation that amended its constitution to limit age & tenure of office bearers
5.       The NRAI is the only NSF, whose incumbent President is an active national shooter sportsman ranked amongst the top 12 in his event for the last seven years
6.       The NRAI has exerted it’s best efforts to ensure that its conduct in promoting shooting as a sport and it’s adherence to norms, policy, rules & regulations, especially in the context of holding elections is above reproach; never before has the NRAI witnessed such a large turnout for its quadrennial meeting of members who have overwhelmingly voted by secret ballot in the presence of a High Court appointed observer reposing their faith in the Executive of the NRAI
 
It is our submission that the above-mentioned article has caused almost irreparable damage to the NRAIs good name and efforts and your readers are entitled to know that the NRAI is an institution that is truly managed by sportsman for the sportsman.
 
The unsportsmanlike behavior & politically motivated allegations of a few – we need not name them nor dwell on their motives – is sullying our institution & its good work. Please judge us by our actions and not baseless & malicious allegations.
 
Please also consider that the news article was published uncomfortably close to the time of the NRAIs appeal to a higher bench of the High Court.
 
For your consideration, we are submitting a point wise rebuttal & clarification of the said article. The article is reproduced verbatim in red font and in quotation marks and our comments are in green font, bold and italics.
 
Should you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to contact me.
 
Thanking you,
 
I remain yours sincerely,
 
Raninder Singh
President
NRAI
 
 
 
 
“The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) had blatantly contravened the government’s national Sports Code in its April 6 elections,”
 
This statement is not true & misleads the reader..
 
NRAI Elections held on 6th April were notified & conducted by the returning officer, retired Judge of the Punjab & Haryana High Court AND an official observer of the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports (MYAS). Both the Returning Officer & the MYAS have officially communicated that the said elections were conducted in a satisfactory manner. Moreover there is no question of contravention, leave aside ‘blatant’, of the National Sports Code advisories on conduct of elections, as the Ministry’s advisories are in consonance with NRAI’s prescribed procedures and byelaws.
 
“which were subsequently declared null and void by the Delhi High Court recently.”
 
Please note the context in which this statement must be considered by your readers..
 
With regard to the annulment of the 6th elections, it is pertinent to note that two separate cases, yet exactly similar in points of law & issues raised, were filed in the Delhi HC contesting the selection of members on 4th March 2013 from two sub groups of the NRAI.
 
 In the first case On 5.4.2013 in OMP No. 207/2013 the learned judge ruled in favor of the NRAI. In the second case on 22.4.2013 in CS(OS) No. 506 of 2013 the learned judge ruled against the NRAI. Given that the two judgments differ on same issues raised, the NRAI has filed an appeal to a Double Bench of the Delhi HC
 
“One of the most important guidelines on which the recognition of national sports federations (NSFs) hinges is that “the state or union territory admitted as member in the NSF should have a minimum of 50% of district-level associations affiliated to it.” 

This statement confuses..
 
The only communiqué that the NRAI has received from the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports (MYAS), deals with the contentious issues of age and tenure in National Sports Federations (NSF). In this regard it may be stated that the NRAI is the first NSF to voluntarily consider the advisory and amend its constitution accordingly.
 
NRAI categorically states that no State level unit affiliated to the NRAI has in any way been violative of its constitution.
 
“In NRAI’s case, most of the north-eastern states, including Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram, among others don’t have state associations, leave aside a network of district associations. But that didn’t stop the federation from fielding members for the April 6 elections. The other states and union territories, where shooting is non-existent, yet the NRAI had members standing for key posts are Orissa, Andaman & Nicobar and Mizoram.”
 
Nothing could be further from the truth and more factually incorrect
 
All the four states mentioned have registered state rifle associations with the requisite number of district and club affiliates and are officially affiliated to the NRAI and meet all the requisite provisions of affiliation as per rules & regulations
 
“Punjab, which produced the maximum Olympians in shooting, stands disaffiliated.”
 
This observation misleads your readers as it is not placed in its proper context:
 
NRAI’s disaffiliation of the Punjab Rifle Association (PRA) must be seen in the context of the directives received by the NRAI from the International Sports Shooting Federation (ISSF) & through it the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The directive sought through the NRAI to disassociate the shooting fraternity from those personnel who had participated in the illegal elections of the suspended Indian Olympic Association (IOA). The NRAI has however diligently safeguarded the interest of shooters from Punjab by enabling all Punjab shooters to compete unhindered. For instance, in the recent Shotgun World Cup held in Alin, Abu Dhabi in April 2013, five Punjab shooters, three of who are Olympians, participated. Therefore, no Punjab sportsperson has suffered on account of the NRAI disaffiliating Punjab Rifle Association. Moreover, the NRAI did not single out Punjab Rifle Association, but all State Rifle Associations were advised to pay heed to the directives received by the NRAI from the ISSF.
 
In any event the disaffiliation of the PRA by NRAI was challenged in a petition filed by the disaffiliated PRA in the court of the Civil Judge Mohali. The Court dismissed the petition and has upheld the constitutional provision of Arbitration as stated in the NRAI constitution.
 
“Shocking
A look at the names of candidates and state associations they represented throws up startling facts. The NRAI president, Raninder Singh, represented Orissa. Senior vice-president, Avtar Singh Sethi, too represented Orissa, though his residence is in East Punjabi Bagh in New Delhi, while treasurer, Sanjeev Bahl, resides in Sainik Farms but represents Andaman & Nicobar.”
 
There is nothing shocking or improper for any Indian residing anywhere in India to represent any State Rifle Association as long as the constitution & rules of the respective associations permit it - the NRAI is in possession of the constitutions of the state rifle associations mentioned in the article and none of them present any restrictions on appointing delegates who may reside outside the states they represent. It is the autonomous and independent right of a State Association to nominate representatives to serve in the General Body of the NRAI.
 
“The list is endless and had members of the Sethi family — mostly relatives of NRAI advisor, Baljeet Singh Sethi, senior vice-president, Avtar Singh Sethi, (both overage) and Jagmeet Singh Sethi — standing for almost all the top posts and representing states as far away as Orissa, Goa and other north-eastern states. Harman Singh Sethi and Prabdeep Singh Sethi, the grandson and son of Baljeet Sethi, represented Uttarakhand, though they stay in Delhi.”
 
Any one who has followed the evolution of shooting as a sport in India over the last 50 years knows that some members of the Sethi family have served the cause of the Indian shooting fraternity in a remarkably selfless, fair & devoted manner. Being a member of one’s family surely cannot be reason to flay a person’s reputation and yeoman service to our sport. Moreover, in addition to the five members of the Sethi family, there are over hundred non-Sethi family members in NRAI’s general body! So it’s NOT all in the family.

“Clear guidelines
The Sports Code also states that, ‘While granting recognition/affiliation to a State/Union Territory Association the NSF should take into consideration the representative character of the State/UT Association so as to ensure that only truly representative body of the game gets the recognition.’
 
But in this case all states/UTs were given equal rights irrespective of the popularity of the sport in that particular state or union territory. A top shooter questioned as to how Andaman & Nicobar, which has a non-existent association, can be given voting rights equal to other active units like the Army or Railways, which produces the maximum number of shooters.” 

The suggestion that voting rights be proportionally allotted based upon the popularity of the sport in a particular state is bizarre to say the least. The NRAI & its affiliated Associations endeavor to promote shooting in all states & regions of the country without discrimination. On the contrary, where the popularity of the sport is relatively lower, our endeavor must be to towards positive affirmation, not discrimination. These rights are also defined & guaranteed by the constitution of the NRAI, which includes the rights of UT & a GOI sports control board.
 
“The Sports Code also clearly states that while the federation is well within its rights to grant membership to individual clubs or persons, “such membership does not confer on such members the right to vote in any of the federation’s meetings”. But during the April 6 elections, eight individual members — four life and four annual members — voted, thus blatantly violating the code.”
 
It is the constitution of the NRAI that ensures the voting rights of both these sub groups and it is the NRAI’s duty to adhere to its constitution.
 
“Unyielding
But Baljeet Sethi remained adamant. “We will contest the High Court verdict before a Double Bench soon”. Reminded about NRAI officials from Delhi being made representatives from states as far as Meghalaya and Andaman & Nicobar, he said, Since there is no shooting culture in these states, these officials from Delhi will be sent there to spread the culture. First, we need to develop a culture and then it will blossom,” he said.
 
But the copy of the minutes of the governing body of the NRAI clearly shows that the affiliation of Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura and Orissa was never approved.”
 
This statement is misleading..
 
The minutes of the Governing Body of the NRAI explicitly authorizes the President of the NRAI to decide the grant of affiliation to the states mentioned above, which was granted by the President & the same was communicated vide letters issued by the NRAI office secretary.


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