The International Olympic Committee asked Indian Olympic Association to conduct elections or risk facing suspension ©IOA

Indian Olympic Association (IOA) secretary general Rajeev Mehta has claimed that any Executive Committee meeting with regards to elections can only be held after the 2022 Commonwealth Games here, following an International Olympic Committee (IOC) warning the IOA could be suspended.

With many IOA officials travelling to the English city, Mehta insists an Executive Committee meeting is not possible in the short term.

The IOA elections, due to have been be held in December last year, have been kept in abeyance because of an ongoing case in the New Delhi High Court, where the National Olympic Committee (NOC) has been accused of violating the national sports code.

Three days ago, the IOC issued a letter to the IOA, asking the NOC to hold its elections in the coming weeks or risk facing suspension.

"The next court order is expected to come between July 26 and August 3," Mehta told insidethegames.

"Since some of us are travelling to Birmingham, we will have to wait until the Commonwealth Games is finished to see what the next step is."

It remains to be seen if this decision will go down well with the IOC as the international governing body had asked IOA to "confirm the date of the IOA quadrennial elections without any further delay, in accordance with IOC Charter and the IOA Constitution currently in force and approved by the IOC".

Anil Khanna, who was appointed as IOA Acting President by the New Delhi High Court as per the law of the land and the IOA Constitution, following Narinder Batra’s resignation, claimed the IOC warning is "out of the line".

Narinder Batra, right, this month stepped down as IOA President ©Getty Images
Narinder Batra, right, this month stepped down as IOA President ©Getty Images

Batra recently resigned as President of the International Hockey Federation and IOA with immediate effect, citing "personal reasons".

"What I, however, find a little out of line, is a premature warning of suspension without having been given a reasonable opportunity by the IOC/OCA [Olympic Council of Asia] to the IOA," Khanna wrote.

In a letter addressed to James Macleod, director of Olympic Solidarity and NOC relations, and Husain Al-Musallam, director general of the OCA, Khanna requested a meeting with the IOC, stating that the NOC will only be able to conduct elections once it gets permission from the New Delhi High Court.

Khanna had also requested a meeting with OCA Acting President Randhir Singh, secretary general of the IOA between 1987 and 2012.

"A possibility could be that since the Acting President OCA Raja Randhir Singh is based in India itself, IOA could have a meeting with him here and await communication from your good selves for another meeting in Lausanne or elsewhere," Khanna’s letter read.

Khanna's appointment is yet to be recognised by the IOC.

The IOC had previously banned the IOA for failing to comply with its rules in the election process in 2012.

India is due to host the next IOC Session in Mumbai in 2023, while the country has also expressed interest in staging the 2036 Olympic and Paralympic Games.