PANJIM: Secretary Santosh Bandodkar and Vice-President Shyamsundar Tari condemned the decision of Goa Volleyball Association (GVA) to expel them terming it biased, irrational, one-sided and high-handed.
It may be recalled that the two members were expelled by GVA at an extraordinary general body meeting held at Ponda Municipal Hall, on July 7, 2017.
“Justice was denied to us. We got a rude shock when we came to know about our suspension through the local newspapers. There is no justification at all as to why the association or Irwin Soares (president) took a disciplinary action against us as we are not involved in any act of misconduct or misappropriation.
“Moreover, there is no charge-sheet against us. Neither we were asked to explain as to why disciplinary or any other action should be taken against us either by GVA, Sports Authority Goa (SAG) or Goa Olympic Association (GOA),” pointed out Santosh and Shyamsunder while addressing the media in the city on Wednesday.
“We were not informed about the meeting. If any action was being contemplated against us, both of us should have been summoned, which didn’t happen. We could not defend ourselves and explain our views to the other members who were fed only with one side of the story,” they added.
“Consequently, in the absence of well-established norms and denial of a chance to express our views, we strongly feel that the decision to expel us is unjust, uncalled for and contrary to the principles of juris prudence. Thus, it amounts to defamation due to sheer stigma attached to expulsion which is a grave punishment,” emphasised the expelled members.
The two members explained that the president has no powers to operate the accounts as per the GVA Constitution and this fact has been ascertained by the Inspector General of Societies as approved on November 4, 2016. Also the two members stated that Irwin Soares continues to be suspended by the Volleyball Federation of India (VFI) and that the case is subjudice with the Court in Madras even refusing to grant the stay on the order of suspension.
It may be noted that Soares, along with several others at the national level were suspended by the VFI president for attending an ‘unconstitutional meeting’.
“There is a standard procedure to be followed. Without resorting to the well-established procedure, we have been condemned,” stressed Santosh and Shyamsunder.
“We will take appropriate legal action as our prestige and character has been dented for no valid reason,” they remarked.
