Rough end of the stick

Sir — The decision of the Indian Olympic Association to suspend the Indian Hockey Federation and constitute an ad hoc committee is most welcome (“Gill-versus-Gill ends in purge”, April 29). The IHF had been turned into the fief of K.P.S. Gill and his cronies such as K. Jyothikumaran. Indian hockey suffered much ignominy during Gill’s stint, including the failure to qualify for the Olympics for the first time in 80 years. Now that the IOA has woken up, albeit a bit too late, Indian hockey, one hopes, will be rescued from the morass it has landed in.

Yours faithfully,
Barun K. Mahapatro, Berhampur, Orissa

Sir — Last week brought good news in the form of the removal of K.P.S. Gill from the helm of affairs at the IHF and the suspension of the organization itself. It is also heartening to note that Aslam Sher Khan has been asked to look after the affairs of Indian hockey until further measures are taken. These measures were long overdue. Gill has all but ensured the death of hockey in India. Now it is up to the past and present players to work concertedly to restore the game to its old glory.

Yours faithfully,
M.M. Kale, Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh

Sir — Some people seldom learn or repent. K.P.S. Gill, the Nero of the hockey empire, sat unfazed even as everything around him went up in blaze. It was his utter indifference that led to the men’s team failing to qualify for the Beijing Olympics. Singh did not wake up even when K. Jyothikumaran, his secretary-general, was implicated in shady dealings. Any other person in a similar situation would have resigned in shame, but Gill chose to defend the indefensible. He has been doubly humiliated by the International Hockey Federation’s threat to take away from India the right to host the 2010 World Cup, if the house is not set in order soon. However, it is comforting to know that the ad hoc panel that will run the affairs of the IHF will now comprise former and current players. Given the sorry state of affairs, it is imperative that the game is managed by those who understand it rather than by retired bureaucrats who want to grab plum organizational posts so as to wield influence.

Yours faithfully,
J. Akshay, Secunderabad

Sir — K.P.S. Gill’s bad days started long before the Jyothikumaran episode. Gill always wanted to project himself as the real power behind Indian hockey, and remain beyond the jurisdiction of all authority. The result of such self-centredness: India failed to qualify for the Olympics for the first time in eight decades. The editorial, “Not in sport” (April 30), hits the bull’s eye by pointing out that the IOA, which has appointed an ad hoc committee to look after Indian hockey, is itself notorious for corruption and abuse of power. While this is probably true, one must consider the fact that the IOA did not have any other option but to disband the IHF and boot out Gill and his coterie. Every sport must possess a parent body of its own, and it would not be difficult to find a dedicated set of sportspersons to rescue hockey from its present plight.

Yours faithfully,
B.K. Chatterjee, Faridabad

One law for all

Sir — The chief justice of India, K.G. Balakrishnan has claimed that the Right to Information Act does not cover constitutional authorities (“None exempt”, April 25). But it is important to remember that upholding the law of the land and the dispensing of justice are duties that the judiciary is expected to deliver. In this sense, what it renders is public service, and is, for that reason, to be seen as no different from any other public institution. Besides, the office of the chief justice is financed by the public exchequer and this is all the more reason for the RTI to be applied to all without discrimination.

Yours faithfully,
B.S. Ganesh, Bangalore

Sir — First, it was the Supreme Court which recommended for itself virtual exemption from the RTI Act, and now it is the parliament’s committee for privileges which has spoken against the uncontrolled access under the act. The latter holds that there should not be any obligation to release information related to House proceedings to the public. Interestingly, the committee tried to justify its stand by quoting provisions from the parliaments of other nations. But instead of looking for precedence, the Indian democracy could set itself up as a role model by implementing the RTI Act in all strictness, especially since the country ranks poorly in the global transparency list. The RTI Act should aim at improving the standards of transparency, accountability and honesty, and should be extended to the private sector as well.

Yours faithfully,
S.C. Agrawal, Dariba, Delhi