IOC announces suspension of Indian Olympic Association

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has been suspended by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) due to a dispute over a controversial election that was scheduled to be held this week.
Tuesday's announcement came following a series of disputes between the IOC and India's National Olympic Committee. The IOA had been scheduled to hold an election that would have seen Lalit Bhanot, who spent 11 months in custody last year following corruption charges that hit the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, appointed as the organisation's new Secretary General. Bhanot, who is currently on bail, was seemingly set for the post after a rival candidate withdrew from seeking the post.
The IOC has been angered by interference in the elections by the Indian Government and had written to the IOA warning of a possible suspension.
IOC Head of National Olympic Committee relations Pere Miro stated "they (the IOA) are not entitled to have elections and if for some reason they go ahead this will not be recognised."
Miro said Kuwait had avoided a similar suspension after it amended its sports law, adding that India's ban was caused by government interference and bad governance by the IOA. "What happened in the past is null and if something happens now it is the same," Miro added, according to Reuters.
The IOA has been ordered by a Delhi court to hold the elections in-line with the Government's sports code, while the IOC wants the organisation to abide by the Olympic charter.
Abhay Singh Chautala, who is expected to become the new IOA President, criticised the IOC's decision, stating "this is wrong and completely unilateral.
"We'd go to the IOC again and explain them of the actual situation and the details of the election. This ban was completely thrust on us. It's a unilateral decision. The IOA acting president had written to the IOC but they didn't reply. I had also written a letter saying we are sending two members to explain the situation and requested for appointment. Again there was no answer to that."
In September the IOC was reportedly "astonished" at the refusal of the IOA to clarify status of former President Suresh Kalmadi, who left the IOA following corruption charges related to awarding illegal contracts to a Swiss firm for the Timing-Scoring-Result system for the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
At that time Kalmadi appeared to be refusing to relinquish authority to then acting President V.K. Malhotra.