Player urges Delhi HC to direct authorities over Tokyo Paralympics games selection
Aug 09, 2021
New Delhi [India], August 9 : Raj Kumar, a para-badminton player, urged the Delhi High Court on Monday to issue direction to authorities concerned allowing him to participate in the Tokyo Paralympics games, 2020.
Raj Kumar, in his petition filed through advocate Sunny Singla and Himanshu Puri, said that the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) and Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) deliberately and arbitrarily ignored to select him for participation in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics in badminton competition of mixed doubles SL 3-SU 5 events.
The petitioner said that he has given remarkable performances in the past and his achievements stand testimony to his consistent performance.
"The respondent no. 1 and-4 (PCI and BAI), arbitrarily and without application of mind selected and sent the name of pair Pramod Bhagat and Palak Kohli instead of the present petitioner and Parul Parmar to participate in 2020 Tokyo Paralympics in badminton competition of mixed doubles SL 3-SU 5 events," the petitioner said.
"The selection committee of the respondent no.1 and 4 were biased towards the petitioner. They consciously and arbitrarily denied the petitioner his legitimate opportunity to participate in the badminton competition of mixed doubles SL 3-SU 5 events at Tokyo Paralympics. It is important to mention here that it is very unfortunate that ranked 6 pairs namely present petitioner and Parul Dalsukhbhai Parmar has been ignored and the entry of ranked 31 players have been sent and therefore, petitioner seeks kind indulgence of this Court that grave injustice has been caused with the present petitioner," the petitioner stated.
Raj Kumar has urged the Court to direct the respondents to include the name of the petitioner in the list of Selected badminton competitions of mixed doubles SL 3-SU 5 events for Tokyo Paralympics 2020 and to issue direction in the nature of mandamus directing respondents to send the name of the petitioner for his participation in Tokyo Paralympics in badminton competition of mixed doubles SL 3-SU 5.
The Delhi High Court has deferred the matter for hearing on August 10.
