Arjuna Awardee para shuttler Raj Kumar has moved the Delhi High Court against his non-selection for the mixed doubles badminton event in the upcoming Tokyo Paralympics, which the court Thursday said will be heard on August 10.
Justice Rekha Palli deferred hearing on the challenge to await certain documents pertaining to the dispute.
Senior advocate Nalin Kohli, appearing for the Badminton Association of India, said that his client had nothing to do with the selection process which was based on the performance of a player in the Race to Tokyo events.
Advocate Sunny Singla, representing the shuttler, said that Kumar’s selection was withheld in spite of his name being sent to the authorities concerned.
Kumar has sought a direction to the authorities to include his name in the list of selected candidates.
He has contended that grave injustice has been caused to him on account of the Paralympic Committee of India’s (PCI) selection panel to select the pair ranked 31 — Pramod Bhagat and Palak Kohli — for the mixed doubles badminton event.
The petition alleged that the selection committee arbitrarily ignored the pair ranked 6, Raj Kumar and Parul Dalsukhbhai Parmar, for Tokyo Paralympics.
The Selection Committee of the PCI and respondent no. 4 (Badminton Association) in the arbitrary, capricious and discriminatory exercise of discretion failed to select/ sent the entry of the Petitioner in Tokyo Paralympic 2020 games in badminton competition mixed doubles SL 3-SU 5 event, the petition reads.
Kumar has thus submitted that the selection process was not fair and transparent in view of the National Sports Development Code of India, 2011 which mandates judicious selection of players to represent India on merits for major International events.
