Vipnesh Bharadwaj appointed as the interim Chief of AICF as Delhi HC orders the removal of Bharat Singh Chauhan

Vipnesh Bharadwaj has been appointed as the interim secretary by the All India Chess Federation (AICF). The decision comes after Delhi High Court’s interjection to remove Bharat Singh as the chief. Earlier, this decision of the high court was overruled by the Supreme court on the 7th of June. However, the order let Chauhan stay till August 15th only.

On the 2nd of June, Delhi High Court delivered an order that asked Bharat Singh Chauhan to be removed as the AICF chief. However, the Supreme Court overruled the order on June 7th to avoid any hindrance in the proceedings of the Chess Olympiad. The 44th Chess Olympiad took place in Tamil Nadu and was scheduled from July 28th to August 9th.

Supreme Court’s order let Chauhan reinstate his position till the 15th of August. And now, after the Delhi High court reiterated its decision, Chauhan has been replaced by Bharadwaj. AICF, in its latest statement, has announced Bharadwaj’s appointment. “(Vipnesh) Bharadwaj has been appointed interim secretary of the federation following the Delhi HC order,” said Sanjay Kapoor, the president of AICF.

“A meeting has been called later tonight to further discuss the situation,” Kapoor added. As per AICF laws, the president holds the office in case of an office-bearer’s absence caused by resignation, death, or otherwise. The president fills the vacancy up until the next General body meeting of the federation.

The High court ordered Chauhan’s removal from the position following R.N. Dongre’s challenge. Dongre filed a case stating that Chauhan’s appointment violated the National Sports Development Code. Bharat Singh Chauhan acquired the seat by defeating R.N Dongre in the AICF elections of 2021.