A Rajasthan High Court has stayed the minutes of a crucial meeting of the national body, which mean Hockey India would be unable to holds its elections on February 7.

The FIH has claimed that they will move the World Cup to another country if "free and fair" elections are not held by Hockey India before the event starts.

Narendra Batra, the treasurer of Hockey India, said: "We haven't read the case papers yet but as things stand now, the elections are under a spot.

"We had taken all our important decisions during that meeting and if the meeting's minutes are stayed, it will be a problem for us.

 "We will study the case papers tomorrow (Saturday) and decide on the future course of action."

The elections have already been postponed twice.

Originally they were due to be held on November 18 but were put off until the end of January after some State associations questioned the process of affiliation, problems that continued and led to them being pushed back to February.

Ever since the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) superseded the Indian Hockey Federation and formed an ad-hoc committee to run the sport in April 2008, more than one attempt has been made to put an elected body in place.
 
Last May, the IOA laid the foundation for Hockey India, disbanding all the men and women’s state units after FIH made a unified, elected federation mandatory for hosting the 2010 World Cup.
 
Leandro Negre, the President of the FIH, has always maintained that there is no change in the stand of the international governing body.
 
During a visit to India in November he said: "We maintain that a unified, elected federation is a constitutional obligation of the FIH if any country has to organise the World Cup."

Negre attended the disputed meeting of Hockey India, held on January 11, as an observer, where the affiliation of Rajasthan Hockey Association (RHA), a new body, was approved instead of a previous organisation which had run the sport in the state for 60 years and who have now appealed to the High Court.

A similar complaint is also due to be heard in Mumbai on Monday where the Mumbai Hockey Association, which was founded 75 years ago, is challenging a decision not to affiliate it and instead recognise the Maharashtra Hockey Association.

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