Allegations of irregularities and highhandedness against Orissa State Badminton Association (OSBAO) became stronger with the lodging of a First Information Report (FIR) against Nileen Kumar, the honorary secretary of the State governing body of the sport at Nandankanan Police Station in Bhubaneswar on 24 July 2025.
Acting on the FIR, lodged by Sasmita Mohapatra, mother of a national-level badminton player, the Inspector Incharge of the Police Station has registered case No 270, under sections 316(2)/ 318(4)/ 351(2)/ 356(2) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023 and section 75 of Juvenile Justice Act 2015, and directed a Sub-Inspector to take up the investigation.
In her written report, Mohapatra alleged that Kumar collected funds in the name of OSBA and deposited the same in the account of Icore Technologies, a private entity registered in Kerala. The funds were collected from Odisha players as tournament entrée fees, players registration fees and annual renewal fees.
“This is a gross violation of rules as all financial transactions of OSBA must be routed through a bank account, operating in the official name of the association, not a private company or third-party entity,” Mohapatra wrote in her FIR.
“Despite repeated requests, the registration details of OSBA, under Societies Registration Act 1860, remain unverifiable. This raises serious questions about its legal existence and authority,” alleged Mohapatra.
As per the FIR, when she questioned the lack of transparency and legality of OSBA’s operations, the secretary of the State association directly or indirectly threatened to cancel or block her minor daughter’s Badminton Association of India (BAI) and OSBA Identity Data (ID). He also did not send her daughter’s entry for National ranking tournaments, showing some rules and regulations which were not in the interest of players.
“These threats are not only intimidatory, but also amount to mental harassment of both me and my daughter, intended to deter us from asking for better amenities and lawful conduct by the association,” Mohapatra alleged.
When contacted for his reaction, the OSBA secretary denied having any information regarding such an FIR. He, however, claimed that OSBA is a bonafide registered sports body and welcomed all investigations into the affairs of the State association.
It may be noted that the BAI has given affiliation to OSBA as its Odisha state unit with Registration number CTC-1226-913 of 1981-1982. But unlike BAI, which displays its own registration certificate on its official website, OSBA is neither doing the same suo moto, nor sharing with anyone.
“When the registration number is there on the BAI portal, what is the need for OSBA to display or share it. Moreover, our executive committee does not allow me to share the registration certificate,” pleaded secretary Kumar when his comment was sought on the issue.
But in response to a query made through the Right to Information (RTI) Act, the office of the Inspector General of Registration, Government of Odisha, has revealed that no such body was found in its record.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PHOTO: File picture of OSBA secretary Nileen Kumar.