Court allows MAI to
conduct car rallies

The Delhi high court on Tuesday allowed the Motorsports Association of India to hold motor car rallies in the country upholding its contention that government recognition is not a prerequisite for staging such events.

A division bench, comprising Justices Usha Mehra and O P Diwedi, modified a single judge's earlier order directing the MAI not to hold any car rallies till further orders as it does not have the requisite recognition from the government.

In the appeal against Justice Mukandakam Sharma's May 20 order, the counsel for MAI, Rajiv Nayar and P K Bakshi, said the government rules required that the applicant organisation must have at least three years experience in staging such events before seeking recognition.

Justice Sharma's interim order came on a plea by the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India, saying the MAI has not been granted recognition by the government and hence is not entitled to hold car rallies.

The judge also said that in case a licence is issued to the MAI in the meantime, the same shall be subject to further orders to be passed on the injunction application. The order is to be effective till July 12.

On January 28, the high court had issued notice to the government on a petition seeking withdrawal of recognition to the FMSCI as the national sporting federation.

Justice Manmohan Sarin told the government to reply why it continued to accord recognition to the FMSCI when the Federation Internationale de I'Automobile, the autonomous international body that controls and administers motorsport, had withdrawn the sporting power for the country from the FMSCI.

The court was hearing a petition, filed by the MAI, which said that India is being targeted as one of the future venues for staging Formula One races but the FIA feels a great deal of action is needed if the sport was to achieve its full potential in the country.

As the FMSCI had expressed its inability to restructure itself and carry out the modifications concerning rallies, the FIA appointed the MAI as the National Sporting Authority (ASN) for India, conferring it the sporting power to carry out the required work.

Nayar said that international recognition was mandatory for having recognition from the government.

Standing counsel for the government, Maninder Singh, stated that it was the particular government of a country which first accords recognition to a sporting body and only then an international recognition followed.

UNI