The Bombay High Court has expressed strong displeasure over the Maharashtra government’s indifference toward the sports fraternity, which has jeopardized the participation of the State's women’s diving team in the National Games scheduled to begin on January 29, 2025, in Uttarakhand.

The Division Bench of Justice Bharati Dangre and Justice Ashwin Bhobe criticized the Maharashtra State Aquatic Coordination Committee (MSACC) for its failure to organize impartial re-trials for the selection of the women's diving team, despite being directed to do so by the Swimming Federation of India (SFI).

"The scenario projected before us in the present Writ Petition is a clear picture of how Sports/Games are looked at by the State of Maharashtra and how the Sports fraternity suffer on account of its apathy....The unfortunate part in the whole scenario is, today on January 17, 2025 a week ahead from January 29, 2025, the MSACC has not been able to find out neutral persons to act as Judges and as a result the direction for conduct of fresh trials, is not yet complied with," the Court said.

Case Background

The controversy arose after allegations of bias in the MSACC’s initial trials, conducted on January 4-5, 2025, for selecting candidates to represent Maharashtra. Following these allegations, the SFI directed the MSACC on January 11 to conduct re-trials under the supervision of neutral judges, preferably from outside Maharashtra. However, by January 17, the MSACC had failed to secure such judges, prompting the High Court’s intervention.

Court’s Observations

The Bench noted that the MSACC’s failure to comply with the SFI’s directive resulted in the likely exclusion of Maharashtra's diving team from the National Games, as the deadline for submitting entries had passed on January 18, 2025.

“The scenario presented before us demonstrates how sports and games are viewed in Maharashtra and the resulting suffering of the sports fraternity due to governmental apathy,” the Bench remarked.

The Division Bench criticized the MSACC for its inability to find neutral judges, despite having six days to do so. It noted the adverse impact this lapse would have on athletes whose names were earlier shortlisted.

Reluctance to Interfere with National Games

While expressing sympathy for the affected athletes, the Court refused to order a postponement of the National Games, recognizing the logistical challenges and broader interests of participants from across the country.

Instead, the Bench directed the MSACC to immediately approach the SFI or the Games Technical Conduct Committee (GTCC) with a request to extend the deadline for submitting Maharashtra’s diving team entries, citing the challenges faced in organizing re-trials.

Sympathetic Approach Urged

The Court emphasized that the decision ultimately rests with the GTCC but urged the committee to adopt a "sympathetic approach" to ensure Maharashtra's swimmers do not miss the opportunity to compete in the national event.

“It may not be appropriate for us to issue a mandamus directing the GTCC to act in a particular way. However, we expect them to consider the difficulties faced by the swimmers and provide an opportunity for their participation in the National Games,” the Bench said.

Conclusion

With these observations, the Court disposed of the plea, leaving the final decision on extending the submission deadline to the discretion of the relevant authorities. "With this observation, which we expect to be communicated by the learned counsel representing Union of India, to the GTCC, as well as Swimming Federation fo India, the Writ Petition is disposed off," the Court said in its order dated January 17.

Cause Title: Shravani Pratap Suryawanshi & Ors. v. Union of India & Ors. [Neutral Citation No. 2025:BHC-AS:2251-DB]

Appearance:-

Petitioner: Advocates GN Salunke, Rupesh Turbhekar, Umesh Kurund

Respondent: Advocates Jyoti Yadav and SU Bharucha, Tvishi Pant, Mukesh Pathak, Abhishek

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