By Venkatachari Jagannathan
Chennai, April 20 (IANS) The special/extraordinary general body meeting of the All India Chess Federation (AICF) called by 12 state chess associations on April 22 will be held as decided earlier, Chandigarh Chess Association Secretary Vipnesh Bhardwaj said.
“The special/extraordinary general body meeting will be held as scheduled. Nineteen state associations have sent the names of persons who will be attending the general body meeting,” Bhardwaj told IANS on Monday.
According to him, the members can attending through audio/video conferencing or even by email, given the restrictions on movement of people due to Covid-19 lockdown.
The general body meeting could be termed as the `Corona Gambit’ in support of AICF Secretary Bharat Singh Chauhan, taking into account the current Coronavirus season and the chess term.
“Yes, you can call it as Corona Gambit,” Bhardwaj said.
As per the notice, the agenda for the meeting, among others, include: (a) To discuss and decide about the financial matters including the due payments of AICF (b) To discuss and decide about various court cases related to AICF, various cases filed by Tamil Nadu Chess Association and election matters (c) To discuss and decide about the due payments/grant related issues of Bengal Chess Association and election of Bengal Chess Association (d) To discuss and decide about various issues related to World Youth Chess Championship 2019 held at Mumbai and (e) To take a decision for monitoring and regulating day to day functioning of AICF till fresh elections of office-bearers are conducted.
The state chess associations have called the extraordinary general body meeting soon after the chess body’s President P.R. Venketrama Raja dismissed Chauhan from the post.
Raja had also appointed Vijay Deshpande of All Marathi Chess Association as the AICF Secretary without any election being held.
The AICF is split into two factions – one headed by Raja and the other by Chauhan.
Reacting to the development, Chauhan had told IANS: “An office-bearer can be removed only with the support of two-third members of the Central Council by passing a resolution.”
“The President has no authority to appoint any person as an officer-bearer of AICF.”
In his letter dated March 30, Raja, after listing various omissions and commissions of Chauhan, said that under the powers vested with the AICF President under Article 15(a) of the chess body’s constitution, the latter is removed from the post of Secretary.
The second part of the rule states: “If, in the opinion of the President, any emergency has arisen in the affairs of AICF which requires immediate action, he may take such action as deemed necessary and report the same to the next meeting of the Central Council or General Body.”
While the extraordinary general body meeting is likely be held on April 22, Bhardwaj said Raja has sent a legal notice against the meeting.
“There is no court order restraining the extraordinary general meeting. The meeting will be held as scheduled,” he said.
(Venkatachari Jagannathan can be contacted at v.jagannathan@ians.in)
–IANS
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