Hours after Suresh Kalmadi was granted bail by the Delhi High Court, there was intense speculation within the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) circles whether the tainted administrator will resume his duties as President of the sports body.
Kalmadi, the former CWG Chairman, had nominated the senior Vice President V K Malhotra as the Acting President before being arrested for alleged corruption in the conduct of the Commonwealth Games in 2010.
The news of Kalmadi getting bail has come as a shot in the arm for his loyalist in the IOA and it is now up to him whether to take charge again.
"Nobody in the IOA has objected to Kalmadi taking charge of the IOA as its President. There was no opposition to him in the last General Body meeting," IOA Vice President Tarlochan Singh told PTI.
"It was now up to Kalmadi to decide on what he wants to do. He has done a lot of good work as IOA President and was responsible for bringing the CWG to India. The CWG was a very successful event," Tarlochan said.
"The bail proves that there is no clear case against Kalmadi, so why should somebody stop him from resuming his work in IOA," he said.
The anti-Kalmadi group in the IOA has raised questions on how a tainted official could become President again, particularly when a corruption case has been filed against him.
"How can he become the IOA President again? He should take into account public furore and sentiments and stay away from any position till he clears his name," a top official said.
Kalmadi's presence will also add a new dimension to the IOA elections, scheduled for later this year.
Kalmadi was arrested by the CBI on April 25, 2011 in the Timing, Scoring and Result system scam.
Kalmadi had moved the High Court in January, seeking bail citing the Supreme Court's judgment in 2G spectrum case and said it has been held that "bail is rule and jail is exception".