AICF expels OSCA, constitutes ad-hoc body

A much-malinged Orissa State Chess Association (OSCA) has been expelled by the All India Chess Federation (AICF) for its acts of omissions and commissions. In an e-mail to this paper on Wednesday, AICF secretary D V Sundar said the decision to expel the much-malinged state body was taken by the National body’s central council meeting at Chennai on Tuesday last. While taking the disciplinary action, AICF constituted a five-member ad-hoc committee to look after the management of the sport in the state. Headed by Asit Mukherjee, the committee includes two International Masters of Orissa (Sekhar Chandra Sahu and Swayangsu Satyapragyan), current state champion Manoj Kumar Panigrahi and Saroj Kishore Behara. OSCA invited punishment when it conducted its elections last month, defying AICF’s instruction not to do so before replying to a show-cause notice on charges of miscunduct and gross irregularities. Continuing with its controversial rule, the state body also did not allow people other than 26 life members and 22 general members to contest the elections. Even officials of the affilited district units were not allowed to contest for any post other than the executive committee members. The election thus turned out to be reshuffling of posts among same set of life and general members. The National body was forced to get involved in the state affairs after being made party to a writ petition filed in the Orissa High Court by Cuttack District Chess Association secretary Bibek Kumar Tibarewal. The petitioner requested the High Court to direct AICF to thoroughly probe the allegations against OSCA and submit a report on the functioning of the state body. Accordingly, the AICF constituted a four-member committee, comprising National Federation secretary D V Sundar, vice-presidents A Narasimha Reddy, A Bhaktchalam and Arjun Awardee Manuel Aaron to look into the matter. But OSCA refused to respond to the clarifications sought by the enquiry committee, including address and phone numbers of all members having voting rights. Later, the enquiry committe not only confirmed the irregularities in functioning of OSCA, but has also recommended the appointment of an ad-hoc committee for proper administration of the game in the state.