Shashwati Chowdhury
Published on: June 29, 2022 at 17:07 IST
Last week, the Delhi High Court noted that selecting sports person to represent the nation in international competitions is not as easy as comparing scores based on individual performances.
Last week, the Delhi High Court noted that choosing athletes to represent the nation in international tournaments is not as straightforward as comparing results based on individual accomplishments.
Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma dismissed petitions filed by two table tennis players, Swastika Ghosh and Manush Shah, who had challenged their exclusion from the list of players chosen to represent India in the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Birmingham on the grounds that litigation challenging such selection processes may disrupt and affect players’ preparation and performance.
The judge stated that a Committee of Administrators appointed by the High Court finalised the names provided by the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI). The Court stated that this committee examined at all the issues and made its decision after taking everything into account.
According to the Court’s order, “In the present case also the Committee of Administrator has weighed different factors and therefore, this court finds itself unable to interfere in exercise of its power of judicial review.”
Justice Sharma while agreeing to a previous ruling of the Court and held that it cannot act as a “Super Umpire,” “Super Referee,” or “Super Selector.”
The selection and finalisation of participants for participation in international level tournaments are outside the purview of the courts, he continued, and any ruling can only be overturned if it is perverse or arbitrary