Government not accepting NOC’s presidential election

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Dec. 30: The government and Nepal sports authorities have denounced the presidential election of the Nepal Olympic Committee (NOC) organised digitally on Saturday against the Supreme Court order. 

According to the officials at the Ministry of Youth and Sports and National Sports Council (NSC), the election and its process took place against the order of the Patan High Court and Supreme Court and the government would not accept it.

“We should honour the verdicts from the court. However, the court’s decisions were opposed by the NOC to organise the election,” said Khushraj Dahal, spokesperson for the NSC.

The NSC had issued a notice to the NOC on Saturday to not go against the apex court’s order; however, it was not followed. 

“We had warned that the ones who go against the court order could be punished under ‘defamation’. The NSC will decide on necessary action and other steps based on how the court oversees the election process,” Dahal told The Rising Nepal.

Minister for Youth and Sports, Teju Lal Chaudhary, had also warned the NOC to not conduct an election against the government order. 

Meanwhile, the sitting President of the NOC, Jeevan Ram Shrestha, ignoring the Patan High Court's order, amended the NOC statute from the Extra Ordinary General Assembly allowing any individual to run for President/General Secretary of the NOC for four terms. 

Similarly, President Shrestha also amended the number of seats for vice presidents and members of the executive committee (EC). Of the 19 seats in the EC, officials at 18 seats were elected unopposed. The election was only required for the post of the President despite the initial steps being questionable as well.

There were three candidates for the President: Jeevan Ram Shrestha, Nilendra Raj Shrestha, and Sunil Kumar Shrestha. But Nilendra and Sunil refused to take part in the election citing the Supreme Courts’ orders. 

“I have not withdrawn my candidacy but strongly oppose the current NOC election process, which I believe violates the Supreme Court’s directives. Such actions undermine the legality and fairness required in democratic processes,” Nilendra, who was NOC’s general secretary before the election, posted on his Facebook on Friday. 

Similarly, Sunil, who was a vice president, had stated to not take part in the election denied by the country’s apex bodies. 

“All the processes that led to Saturday’s election are dubious and against the law. Several associations and individuals are preparing to knock on the court doors again. I see a high chance for the authorities to terminate the election that is against all norms and laws,” Sunil told The Rising Nepal.

Nevertheless, President Jeevan Ram has been stressing that the election was legal and performed under the supervision of representatives from the International Olympic Committee and the Olympic Council of Asia.

As per the NOC, 20 of the 27 voters took part in the digital election on Saturday and Jeevan Ram received all 20 votes. The seven voters who did not participate were Nilendra, Sunil, Samim Miya Ansari, Pushpadas Shrestha, Manish Joshi, Rajiv Bikram Shahi and Anil Prasad Sharma. 

Anil and Manish were one of the vice presidents and members of the NOC elected unopposed in the new team. However, they did not participate in the election for the President showing reservations over the ongoing legal issues.