Sports bodies should be made accountable to public: Fali Nariman

Against the backdrop of recent controversies raising questions on the functioning of sports bodies in the country, noted jurist Fali S Nariman today said that they should not be left uncontrolled and must be made answerable to the public.

He termed as "very positive" a recent judgment of the Delhi high court to allow the public to scrutinise the functioning of organising committee of the Commonwealth Games by bringing it within the purview of the RTI Act.

"Governing bodies for sports in the country should not be uncontrolled. People have the right to know about the functioning of the sports bodies," he said.

Former chief justice of India JS Verma took a dig on the way the office-bearers hold posts in sports federations in perpetuity and suggested change in the present culture.

"Culture of holding posts of sports federations unless God intervened must change," he said.

They were speaking at a symposium on 'Sports and the Law' organised by the Society of Indian Law Firms (SILF) in New Delhi.

The high court had said despite being autonomous and free from government control in its functioning, the Games organising committee is a public authority and liable to reveal information under the RTI Act.

"...that the institution or organisation is not controlled and is autonomous is irrelevant," the court had said while declaring the committee as a public authority.