SRINAGAR: The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed the ongoing elections of the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA), taking serious note of allegations of fraud, back-dating of orders, and manipulation of electoral rolls against members of a sub-committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
A Bench comprising Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta intervened while hearing petitions filed by 19 recognised cricket clubs affiliated with the JKCA, which form part of its general body. The Court observed that the allegations, if found to be true, strike at the very foundation of a free, fair, and transparent electoral process.
The apex court ordered that the election results, if any, shall not be declared until further orders and issued notice to the respondents. The matter is scheduled for further hearing on February 6, when the Court will examine the legality of the impugned actions and the overall sanctity of the JKCA electoral process.
The elections were being conducted under the supervision of a Court-appointed Electoral Officer, former Chief Election Commissioner AK Jyoti, pursuant to earlier Supreme Court directions. The Court had, in November 2025, ordered that the long-pending JKCA elections be completed within 12 weeks and directed the BCCI to immediately provide the formally approved JKCA Constitution to ensure that the process commenced without delay or excuse.
Significantly, the Supreme Court had also clarified that the pending registration of the JKCA could not be cited as a ground to postpone or obstruct the elections. The association was mandated to complete the entire electoral exercise—including notification, nominations, scrutiny, polling, and declaration of results—by mid-January 2026, strictly in accordance with the Supreme Court-approved Constitution dated October 27, 2025.
The JKCA was scheduled to hold elections for its office bearers and Apex Council on January 16, 2026, a process widely seen as critical to restoring institutional stability after years of litigation and administrative uncertainty.
However, the petitioners alleged large-scale irregularities, claiming that a BCCI sub-committee, acting in collusion, retrospectively issued orders and unlawfully altered the electoral rolls. They further alleged that the Electoral Officer failed to act despite repeated complaints, thereby vitiating the entire process.
“The inaction by the Electoral Officer, despite the illegalities having been pointed out repeatedly, clearly indicates bias and has eroded the faith of the cricket clubs in the electoral process,” the petition states. The petitioners have sought the removal of AK Jyoti as Electoral Officer, alleging abdication of duty and lack of independence, and have urged the Court to appoint an independent Electoral Officer of “unimpeachable integrity” to conduct the elections afresh.
In addition, the petition seeks the appointment of a retired Supreme Court judge as Administrator of the JKCA with full powers to take over day-to-day administration from the existing BCCI sub-committee.
The Court underscored that sports bodies functioning under judicial oversight are expected to adhere strictly to principles of transparency, fairness, and the rule of law, and indicated that any attempt to manipulate electoral processes would invite strict judicial scrutiny.
The petitioners are represented by a legal team led by Senior Advocate Meenakshi Arora, along with Advocate-on-Record Soayib Qureshi and Advocates Sheikh Faraz, Chetna Alag, and Aman Qayoom Wani.
The JKCA has been embroiled in governance disputes for several years. Earlier, a Division Bench of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court had appointed former Justice Bashir-u-Din as Ombudsman to resolve disputes among affiliated clubs. More than two years later, the disputes remain unresolved, with the Ombudsman citing non-production of records, a claim the JKCA has consistently disputed.
With the Supreme Court now stepping in, the future course of JKCA’s long-delayed elections will hinge on the Court’s findings into the alleged irregularities and its assessment of whether the electoral process can proceed in its present form. -(KL)
