New Delhi: Haryana Football Association president Suraj Pal Amu has requested the All India Football Federation president Kalyan Chaubey for representation of the state body after the High Court of Punjab and Haryana rejected his appeal.
Amu had become the HFA chief on August 23 last year after elections, which the District Registrar of Gurugram declared null and void on June 16 for failing to comply with the state’s Registration and Regulation of Societies Act (HRRS Act).
An administrator-cum-returning officer was appointed to run the HFA and conduct fresh elections to ensure lawful management in the absence of a valid governing body, delivering the judgement after hearing the appeal of Sandeep Mor, Sheikh Sabera Begum, and Suresh Kumar.
The District Registrar observed that “the election process lacked compliance with the HRRS Act and rules, especially regarding issuance of notices, publication of schedule, and transparency, thereby violating voting rights of eligible members,” apart from prima facie evidence of manipulation in the membership and eligible voters list pointing towards procedural violation.
Amu challenged the District Registrar’s order in the High Court but after two hearings on July 1 and 2 the matter was “disposed of”, forcing him to write to the AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey.
Through a letter to Chaubey, who had attended the HFA’s annual awards ceremony on June 2, Amu claimed that “the impugned order is arbitrary and tainted with bias”.
“It appears to be passed under extraneous pressure, as the hearing was unreasonably preponed without any application or request from the parties. The decision to declare the elections null and void after already approving them, and to appoint an Administrator, reflects non-application of mind and a premeditated conclusion.
“The impugned order interferes with the democratic process and seeks to nullify a valid election through administrative overreach. This not only undermines the autonomy of registered societies but also destabilizes their functioning, contrary to the objectives of the HRRS Act, 2012,” he wrote.
‘Football activities mustn’t stop’
“I have written the letter to ensure that football activities don’t come to a stop in the state,” Amu told News9 Sports.
AIFF deputy secretary general M Satyanarayan was one of the three observers during the elections, following which president Chaubey had attended the HFA’s annual awards ceremony on June 2.
Amu said the elections were conducted in a “free, fair, and transparent manner”, and informed that that administrator appointed hasn’t taken over the HFA’s charge yet.
“The election result dated 23.08.2024 and declared and submitted to the District Registrar on 24.08.2024, along with all relevant documents including Form XVII, proceedings, and observer reports,” he wrote.
“All observers submitted reports affirming that the elections were conducted in a lawful, free, and fair manner. The Returning Officer also submitted the election results and documents as per the HRRS Act, 2012.
“It is, therefore, in view of the above submissions, the applicants filling this representations before your esteemed office to not to entertain any letter or communication from the administrator appointed vide impugned order dated 16.06.2025 till the pendency of the writ petition filed before the hon’ble High Court Of Punjab and Haryana, Chandigarh.”
It remaisn to be seen what the AIFF does after the verdict of two judicial bodies.