New Delhi, Aug 4 (IANS) After Hockey India (HI), the sports ministry has now asked the Badminton Association of India (BAI) to explain why its registration certificate should not be withdrawn for violating the election rules laid down by the government.

The sports ministry, in a letter to BAI Wednesday, said it had violated all the guidelines set by the sports ministry during its June 13 elections in Chennai.

Since then both the sports ministry and BAI have been at loggerheads.

In its showcause notice, the sports ministry has charged the BAI on five counts.

'BAI had not informed the ministry about its elections in advance and the president (V.K.Verma) has given a distorted picture to the member associations on the financial assistance from the government and other private sponsors,' the notice said.

The ministry also said that by electing Verma, who became the president for the fourth time, BAI had violated government rules and regulations on the tenure of office bearers.

The ministry also said that the elections were not conducted in a fair, democratic and transparent manner.

The minstry's notice comes a day after the Rajasthan High Court restrained Verma on three counts, including implementing any decision dealing with the present composition of BAI, without the court's specific permission.