New Delhi, April 1 The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has formed a four-member ad-hoc committee to manage the affairs of the Equestrian Federation of India (EFI), acting on the directions of the Delhi High Court, which had called for the restoration of democratic governance in the sport.
The ad-hoc panel will be headed by Yashodhara Raje Scindia as chairperson, with Francisco Lima, Director (Governance) at the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI), advocate Vidushpat Singhania, and Col Ashok Yadav serving as members, according to the IOA office order dated March 27.
The IOA said the committee has been constituted with immediate effect to "administer and govern EFI" and to initiate a reform process leading to the conduct of independent elections and the installation of a duly elected executive body.
This development follows the Delhi High Court's February 18 judgment in which it had directed the IOA to form an ad-hoc committee, noting that the EFI executive committee's tenure had expired in September 2023 and that it no longer had any electoral mandate to continue.
Elections in the EFI have remained pending since then, prompting judicial intervention.
The court had earlier allowed the reinstatement of the erstwhile executive committee as a stop-gap arrangement in the lead-up to the Paris 2024 Olympics to ensure continuity in athlete participation, while emphasizing that a permanent solution must follow.
According to the IOA order, the ad-hoc committee will function as a caretaker and transitional body with full administrative, financial, and regulatory control, including the operation of EFI's accounts, the conduct of competitions, and the oversight of selection processes.
It has also been tasked with aligning EFI's constitution with the National Sports Governance Act, 2025 and the 2026 Rules, restructuring its membership framework, and conducting free and fair elections.
The panel is required to finalize the constitution and by-laws within two months and to notify elections within 30 days thereafter.
The IOA clarified that the ad-hoc committee will remain in place only until a newly elected executive committee assumes charge, after which it will be dissolved.
Certain decisions made by the EFI EC have come under scrutiny recently, such as sending rape-accused Tarsem Singh Warraich, an individual out on bail for a sexual harassment case, as the head coach of the Indian tent pegging team for World Cup Qualifiers in Jordan in January.