Court Dismisses Corruption Case Against Former IOA President Narinder Batra

Judicial Relief for Narinder Batra

In a significant development for Narinder Batra, the former president of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), a special judge has approved the Enforcement Directorate's closure report regarding the corruption allegations against him. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had initiated an FIR in July 2022, targeting Batra along with several others, including Hockey India's executive director RK Srivastava, former president Rajinder Singh, and ex-secretary Mohd Mushtaque, for alleged irregularities related to the renovation and furnishing of the IOA president's office in 2018.

Special Judge Mukesh Kumar stated in his ruling, "The facts presented indicate that the claims made in the FIR could not be substantiated against Shri Narinder Dhruv Batra, Cdr. R. K. Srivastava, Sh. Rajinder Singh, and Sh. Md. Mushtaque Ahmad, leading to the filing of the final report in this case before this Hon’ble Court." He also noted that a Self Contained Note (SCN) would be sent to Hockey India, pointing out the lapses and negligence in not issuing work orders in the name of the IOA and instead using orders from the new Hockey India office located on Mathura Road, New Delhi.

Last month, the CBI also submitted its closure report, concluding that there was a lack of sufficient evidence to advance the case.

The allegations revolved around a renovation project costing Rs 36.19 lakh at Batra's office situated on the second floor of IOA Bhawan. Former treasurer Anandeshwar Panday claimed that some invoices suggested that the funds might have originated from Hockey India, yet there was no record of this transaction in the IOA's financial statements.

These accusations compelled Batra to step down from his roles as the IOA president, an IOC member, and the head of the International Hockey Federation.