New Delhi, May 2: The government, to curtail the autocratic rule of politicians over national sports federations, issued a notification on Sunday limiting the tenures of office-bearers of these bodies.

The sports ministry’s action will affect Indian Olympic Association president Suresh Kalmadi, who has been in the post since 1996, with his fifth term due to end in 2012, and many others.

Those who won’t be able to seek re-election after their current terms end include V.K. Malhotra (archery), Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa (cycling), V.K. Verma (badminton), Digvijay Singh (shooting), Satish K. Sharma (aero club) and B.S. Adityan (volleyball). The action is being seen as a fallout of sports minister M.S. Gill’s long-standing differences with Mr Kalmadi.

The ministry also restored the modified tenure clause, kept in abeyance since 2001, under which a sports body president can serve for 12 years “with or without a break”. Secretaries and treasurers can stand for re-election after a minimum gap of four years, and all office-bearers will have to retire at 70.

***

Minister in Karnataka forced out

Bengaluru, May 2: The BJP government in Karnataka received a jolt when a minister from CM B.S. Yeddyurappa’s home district of Shimoga resigned on Sunday after a newspaper report alleged he had sexually assaulted a friend’s wife.

Food and civil supplies minister Haratalu Halappa resigned after a leading Kannada daily carried a front-page story that alleged he sexually assaulted the wife of a social worker. Mr Halappa said the report was “baseless and untrue”, but said he was quitting on “moral grounds”.