The High Court held the "prestige of the country will be affected if there is any impediment in organising the World Cup event which would require funding from the Union of India" and appointed Justice Sikri as the administrator. Delhi High Court recently appointed Justice A K Sikri, a retired judge of the Supreme Court, as the administrator to oversee the utilisation of funds in the upcoming International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup event in Bhopal in March. A division bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad was on January 19 hearing an application moved by the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI). The association had sought vacation of a previous order of the HC in a plea moved by senior advocate Rahul Mehra challenging various decisions taken by the Centre while according recognition to various National Sports Federations. The High Court held the “prestige of the country will be affected if there is any impediment in organising the World Cup event which would require funding from the Union of India” and appointed Justice Sikri as the administrator. Prior to his elevation to the Supreme Court, Justice Sikri was a judge of the Delhi High Court before he was elevated as Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court in September 2012. The court said Justice Sikri can take the assistance of any sportsperson of his choice, who has been a national or international shooter, to assist him in the matter. “The administrator shall be free to fix his remuneration commensurate to the work and the same will be paid by the Union of India,” it added and directed that funds released for the event “must get his concurrence”. Disposing of NRAI’s application, the court also directed that a report be submitted in a sealed cover after the world cup is concluded. Mehra’s plea sought a direction to the Centre to grant recognition to the various national sports federations only after considering the material demonstrating that they had complied with the Sports Code. The plea also prayed for implementation of the Sports Code in strict terms, without granting any exemption. On June 3, 2022, a division bench of the High Court had directed that “no more monies will be expanded by the Union of India nor any assistance will be extended to any National Sports Federations and the Union of India was directed to ensure that monies, patronage and other facilities to the National Sports Federations will be resumed only when the National Sports Federations comply with Annexure 2 of the Sports Code as well as the orders passed by the Apex Court and this Court in various petitions”. NRAI moved the court against this order claiming these directions had affected the smooth functioning of the National Sports Federations as the entire working capital had come to a standstill. NRAI said India is hosting the ISSF World Cup in March and the stoppage of funds would affect the hosting. NRAI said it is “dependent” on the Centre for conducting international events in India and various activities including training of the shooters and their participation in international events. They argued that in view of the upcoming World Cup event, it is expedient to vacate or modify the previous orders passed by the High Court. Mehra argued NRAI filed the application at the last minute and that if it was allowed, other sports federations who have violated the sports code would start filing similar applications before the High Court. He said his plea is not “adversarial in nature and has been filed only keeping in mind the interests of sports in the country” and that NRAI has also violated various clauses of the sports code. Suggesting an “ad hoc solution”, Mehra said a committee comprising of a retired judge of the High Court and Abhinav Bindra, the first Olympic Gold Medal winner in shooting, must be constituted to oversee the World Cup event. He said funds which are proposed to be released must be passed through the committee and the committee must furnish its report in a sealed cover before the High Court after the world cup event is concluded.