Justice N. Jayasurya of AP High Court on Friday ordered that notices be served to Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Awards (2023) selection committee chairman, badminton players Satwik Sairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty and eleven others in a writ petition filed by archer and probationary deputy collector Vennam Jyothi Surekha.
Ms. Surekha prayed for quashing the decision of the selection committee in picking up Satwik Sairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty for the above awards and consequently directing the respondents to give the award to her for the year 2023. She also called for the entire original records pertaining to the process of selection of Satwik Sairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty.
Unnam Sravan Kumar, counsel for the petitioner, submitted to the court that she was not alleging mala fides but was rather aggrieved by the selection process, saying that it was not in consonance with the scheme for the said awards.
He stated that the Union Minister for Sports Anurag Singh Thakur has been impleaded by name as he was the competent authority for relaxing any relevant clause in the scheme.
Mr. Sravan Kumar further said as per the medals won and points earned by Ms. Surekha in accordance with the criteria evolved by the Ministry of Sports, she was eligible for 148.74 points whereas Satwik Sairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty were eligible for only 58 points.
Justice Jayasurya said there was prima facie justification in Ms. Surekha’s grievance but since the matter needed to be examined, notices must be issued to the respondents, and posted the case for further hearing on February 5. In the same vein, he passed an interim order for necessary action to be taken by the Union Minister on a representation made by the petitioner earlier, by January 8.
