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* IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI

% Judgment reserved on: 18.11.2025

Judgment pronounced on: 23.12.2025

Judgment uploaded on: 23.12.2025

+ LPA 135/2025, CM APPL. 11108/2025, CM APPL.

11109/2025, CM APPL. 11112/2025, CM APPL. 40983/2025, CM APPL. 40984/2025, CM APPL. 58154/2025, CM APPL. 68006/2025, CM APPL. 71568/2025 & CM APPL. 72102/2025 CHANDIGARH HORSE RIDERS SOCIETY CHANDIGARH

.....Appellant

Through: Mr. Amit Sibal and Mr. Vivek

Chib, Sr. Advs. along with Mr. T. Singhdev, Mr. Bhanu Gulati, Mr. Pratham Mehrotra, Mr. Tanishq Srivastava, Mr. Abhijit Chakravarty, Ms. Yamini Singh, Ms. Anum Hussain, Ms. Ramanpreet Kaur, Mr. Sourabh Kumar, Mr. Vedant Sood, Mr. Siddharth Sunil and Mr.

Zeeshan Thomas, Advs.

versus

RAJASTHAN EQUESTRIAN ASSOCIATION & ORS.

.....Respondents

Through: Mr. Rajiv Dutta, Sr. Adv. along

with Mr. Ashish Kothari, Mr. Pratha Pant and Mr. Pratyush

Singh, Advocates for R-1.

Mr. Sudhir Nandrajog, Sr. Adv. with Mr. Vinayak Bhandari, Mr. Ishaan Phukan, Ms. Ankita Singh, Mr. Asjad Hussain and Mr. Anunay Chowdhary,

Advocates for R-3/EFI.

Mr. Arti Bansal CGSC along with Mr. Rudra Paliwal, GP.

Mr. Ishan Roy Chowdhury and

Mr. Samar Bansal, Advocates for Observer.

Mr. Satyajit Sarna and Mr. Aman Goyal, Advocates for applicant/intervenor.

+ LPA 578/2025, CM APPL. 57469/2025, CM APPL.

57470/2025, CM APPL. 57471/2025, CM APPL. 57472/2025, CM APPL. 57473/2025, CM APPL. 57474/2025, CM APPL. 68007/2025, CM APPL. 71567/2025 & CM APPL.

72101/2025 (For CHANDIGARH HORSE RIDERS SOCIETY .....Appellant Through: Mr. Amit Sibal and Mr. Vivek Chib, Sr. Advs. along with Mr. T. Singhdev, Mr. Bhanu Gulati, Mr. Pratham Mehrotra, Mr. Tanishq Srivastava, Mr. Abhijit Chakravarty, Ms. Yamini Singh, Ms. Anum Hussain, Ms. Ramanpreet Kaur, Mr. Sourabh Kumar, Mr. Vedant Sood, Mr. Siddharth Sunil and Mr.

Zeeshan Thomas, Advs.

versus EQUESTRIAN FEDERATION OF INDIA & ORS.

.....Respondents Through: Mr. Sudhir Nandrajog, Sr. Adv.

with Mr. Vinayak Bhandari, Mr. Ishaan Phukan, Ms. Ankita Singh, Mr. Asjad Hussain and Mr. Anunay Chowdhary, Advocates for R-1/EFI Mr. Rajiv Dutta, Sr. Adv. along with Mr. Ashish Kothari, Mr. Pratha Pant and Mr. Pratyush Singh, Advocates for R-5.

Mr. Ishan Roy Chowdhury and Mr. Samar Bansal, Advocates for Observer.

Mr. Satyajit Sarna and Mr. Aman Goyal, Advocates for applicant/intervenor.

CORAM:

HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE ANIL KSHETARPAL HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE HARISH VAIDYANATHAN SHANKAR

J U D G M E N T

ANIL KSHETARPAL, J.

1. Through the present Letters Patent Appeals, the Appellant assails the correctness of the Judgment dated 07.01.2025 and Order dated 13.08.2025 [hereinafter referred to as “Impugned Judgment/Order”] passed by the learned Single Judge in W.P. (C)

Nos.5989/2022 and 10342/2019, respectively.

2. Vide Impugned Judgment dated 07.01.2025, the learned Single Judge has inter alia held that the Relaxation Clause under the National Sports Development Code of India, 2011 [hereinafter referred to as “Sports Code”] is neither arbitrary nor unreasonable. The Court further held that the exemptions granted to the Equestrian Federation of India [hereinafter referred to as “EFI”] by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Department of Sports, Government of India [hereinafter referred to as “MYAS”] are arbitrary and lack any substantive factual foundation. The Court also directed the appointment of a five-member Fact Finding Committee [hereinafter referred to as “the Committee”].

3. Further, vide Impugned Order dated 13.08.2025, learned Single Judge stayed the notice bearing No.072/EFI/EOGA/2025 dated 02.08.2025, purported to convene the Extra-Ordinary General Meeting [hereinafter referred to as “EOGM”] on 17.08.2025 and directed that the Appellant is restrained from holding the said EOGM.

4. In these circumstances, the question that arises for determination is whether the exemptions granted to the EFI are in conformity with the principles and objectives underlying the Sports Code, and whether the learned Single Judge was justified in staying the convening of the