Delhi High Court provides relief to Carrom Federation in fight for NSF status

REPRESENTATIVE IMAGE: Despite the favourable order by the Division Bench which may possibly help the AICF to focus on holding national championships and field teams in international competition, it still has legal cases to deal with the Union Sports Ministry. | Photo Credit: R. Selvamuthukumar

A Division bench of the Delhi High Court observed that the Union of India (UOI) had not followed the procedures prescribed by the Sports Code, and set aside the Impugned Order that had restrained the All India Carrom Federation (AICF) from using ‘India’ in its name.

Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia noted in their order delivered on September 2, that, “Annexure III of the Sports Code was not complied with by UOI at the time of issuance of letter dated 07.12.2020 and, therefore, the same cannot be treated as an order suspending or withdrawing AICF’s recognition as an NSF. The said communication did not record that proceedings for suspension or withdrawal had been initiated, nor did it disclose that AICF had been served with a notice or afforded an opportunity to answer the allegation of non-compliance. It also did not contain any final determination, supported by reasons, that AICF’s recognition stood suspended or withdrawn.”

Questioning the premise of the Impugned Order by the single judge, the Division Bench pointed out that, the said Order “proceeded on the premise that non-renewal of annual recognition, by itself, was sufficient to deny AICF the status of an NSF and restrained AICF from using the expressions ‘India’ or ‘Indian’. Once the Sports Code prescribes a specific procedure for suspension or withdrawal of recognition, that procedure could not have been bypassed based on a communication which neither fulfilled the requirements of notice and hearing nor resulted in a reasoned order”.

The Impugned Order passed on October 29, 2025, had directed that, until AICF was recognised by the Ministry as an NSF, it shall not use the expressions ’India’ or ‘Indian’ in any manner, whether in its name, logo or competitions conducted by it, while granting liberty to use the expression “Team from India’.

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The AICF had filed an appeal LPA 697/2025 challenging the Impugned Order.

The latest order of the Division Bench categorically concluded that, “the assumption underlying the Impugned Order, namely that AICF had ceased to be an NSF at the time when the Impugned Order was passed, is unsustainable”.

The AICF has been battling with the Union Sports Ministry for more than a decade, despite conducting three elections in that period.

Despite the favourable order by the Division Bench which may possibly help the AICF to focus on holding national championships and field teams in international competition, it still has legal cases to deal with the Union Sports Ministry, as another writ petition, WP(C) No.10610/2026 comes up for hearing soon.

The AICF will comply with the latest National Sports Governance Act, which is binding on all National Sports Federations.

Published on Sep 03, 2026

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