High Court stops election of state chess body

The state High Court yesterday directed Orissa Chess Ad hoc committee not to hold election of office-bearers of a new state chess body at Bhubaneswar tomorrow. Vacation judge Justice BP Ray issued the direction after hearing a petition filed by Orissa State Chess Association secretary Smruti Ranjan Das against All India Chess Federation, Orissa Chess Ad hoc committee chairman Asit Mukherjee and convener Manoj Panigrahi on Thursday last. In the petition, Das challenged the illegal and arbitrary conduct of the election by the opposition parties, taking advantage of vacation of the civil court when the subject matter of the dispute was pending in the court of Civil Judge (Junior Division), Bhubaneswar. The petitioner further submitted that due to summer vacation of the, he was unable to move for interim order and shall file such an application in the concerned court on June 22. Without expressing any opinion on the merit of the case, Justice Ray directed that no action in pursuance of notice, dated May 30, 2009, shall be taken by the Orissa Chess Ad hoc Committee till 22nd June, 2009.