New Delhi: The Delhi High Court issued notices to the Centre and others on Friday, on a petition filed by Jagrup Singh Rathi regarding the exclusion of his name from the Dronacharya Award in Lifetime Category 2021. Justice Rekha Palli enquired the Central Government, Selection Committee for Sports Award 2021 and Sports Authority of India to reply to the petition filed by the wrestling coach.
Rathi was represented by Senior Advocate Rahul Mehra and his petition was filed by Advocate R Arunadhri Iyer. In the plea, he challenged the order by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports of the Union of India, whereby the ministry awarded the Dronacharya Award (Lifetime Category) for the year 2021 while excluding the Petitioner Rathi, despite him being found meritorious according to criteria by the Selection Committee.
‘The Petitioner claimed that he is a highly qualified and experienced coach for the sport of wrestling, having been a coach for over 43 years, and having even been the Chief Coach for Olympics team for India in 1984. The Petitioner is an Arjuna awardee and Gold Medallist in the Commonwealth Games in 1974 has trained over 40 wrestlers that have fetched medals at international events. Ten of the Petitioner’s disciples have been awarded the Arjuna award in the past, and two of his disciples have even been awarded the Dronacharya Award itself’, the petition noted.
The petitioner has also sought to issue directions to additionally confer the Dronacharya Award (Lifetime Category) for 2021 to him, for his performance as a coach based on merit as per the Scheme introduced in compliance with the orders of the Court in the peculiar facts and circumstances of the present matter.
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Rathi sought to issue instructions to the Centre to publish all records, including comparative tabular charts containing points of all sportspersons, etc under the scheme on its official website. The petitioner has also requested to lay down a proper time schedule for the declaration of the Dronacharya Award and other Sports Awards in future, viz., by the end of May of every year, so as to provide equitable time and opportunity to elite sportspersons in this regard.
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