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Synopsis

The Delhi High Court recently pulled up the Equestrian Federation of India (EFI) over its selection process for the upcoming Asian Games. Court said that a National Sports Federation should prioritize fostering the best talent in the country without being muddled by hyper-technicality or personal vendettas against any candidate.

The single judge bench of Justice Gaurang Kanth said that sportspersons belong to the stadium and not in the corridors of the court.

The judge added that no one who aims to bring laurels to their motherland should be subjected to mental agony by the federations and its officials.

Court, accordingly, allowed three players to participate in various international equestrian events, along with other selected candidates, leading up to Asian Games in consideration for a spot in the national team.

The court was hearing the petitions moved by three equestrians against the process of selecting candidates for the 19th Asian Games which are scheduled to be held from September 23 to October 8. 

Court said that EFI had failed to show any documents to show that the new selection criteria (V4/V5) was issued by a duly constituted Selection Committee under Article 15 of the EFI Statute.

“It is a proud moment for every Indian citizen to see our Athletes with Tricolour in their hand. The country recognises the years of hard work and dedication put by each Athlete to reach at that stage. The role of National Federations is to ease the difficulties faced by the Athletes and extend the necessary help to them to enable them to better their performances,” the court said.

Court added that despite the presence of such precautionary provisions, element of biasness and conflict of interest always remain as a major challenge in running of National Federation in Indian sports as could be seen in the present matter. It was also mentioned that EFI had failed miserably in conducting the first stage of the selection process.

Recognising that there was no time left to carry out the first stage all over again, the court said, “this Court is of the view that the interest of justice would be met if all the equestrians who participated in either of the selection process, i.e. V-3 or V-5 should now get equal opportunity to prove their merit”.

Furthermore, it was observed that it is the duty of the National Sports Federations to ensure that the selection process is conducted in a fair and transparent manner and the selection criterion is made known to all stakeholders well in advance. It added that any dilution to this process will not only shatter the dreams of these athletes but every citizen of the country.

Case Title: Chirag Khandal vs. Equestrian Federation of India & Ors. and other connected matters