KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Monday pulled up the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) for including athlete Sudha Singh in the Indian team for the IAAF World Championships, despite the cut-off date for submitting the entry list having elapsed. The IAAF had set a cut-off date of July 24 for submitting the entry list of athletes.
An open letter by AFI president Adille J Sumariwalla on July 26 stated Sudha Singh was excluded from the team. Sudha had not participated in the inter-state championship held in Guntur, following Asian Athletics Championships 2017.
It was mandatory for the athletes to compete and get close to the qualification mark for being considered for selection. However, the list published by IAAF has Sudha’s name in it. “How come an athlete, whose name was not in the entry list, be included in IAAF list?” the court asked. The court directed the AFI to file an affidavit in this regard on Tuesday.
Chitra’s petition
The court issued the order on a petition filed by PU Chitra seeking to initiate contempt case against AFI secretary CK Valson, selection committee chairman GS Randhawa and president Adille J Sumariwalla for not complying with the HC order. The court had earlier directed the AFI to ensure Chitra’s participation. The petition said the AFI had written a simple letter to the IAAF pointing out the Kerala HC has passed an interim order. There was no request to include her in the Indian team. The secretary and the selection committee chairman, who are now in London, have to convey to the IAAF they were responsible for non inclusion of Chitra, despite being qualified.
According to Chitra, the IAAF rejected the request stating its guidelines do not permit the inclusion of an athlete after July 27. Athletes were included in the event even after the deadline, the plea stated. The court will examine if the AFI did any thing deliberately to exclude the petitioner. Meanwhile, the AFI approached a division bench of the court seeking its permission to move an urgent appeal to expunge adverse remarks made by the single judge while passing the interim order on ensuring Chitra’s entry. The bench headed by Chief Justice Navaniti Prasad Singh, however, directed them to approach the single judge.
Centre’s stance
Meanwhile, the court sought the stance of the Central Government in the case. Counsel for the Centre submitted it had no role in the selection of athletes. To this, the court said the government should maintain a control over the AFI to ensure transparency in the selection of athletes.