The Delhi High Court on Friday deferred to August 9, the plea of Arjuna awardee and former Para-Badminton World Champion Raj Kumar, seeking direction to include his name, along with Parul Dalsukhbhai Parmar, for mixed doubles SL 3- SU 5 event, Badminton at the upcoming Tokyo Paralympic Games 2020.
The Single-Judge Bench of Justice Rekha Palli was inclined to conclude the hearing today, pertaining to the urgency related to the matter, but deferred it to August 9, after Senior Advocate Navin S Kohli, appearing for Badminton Association of India, sought time to get comprehensive instruction in order to respond to all queries.
According to the Race to Tokyo Paralympic Ranking List published on May 20, 2021, Raj Kumar and his pair Parul Dalsukhbhai Parmar stand at rank no 6 with a total point 2360, whereas pair namely Parmod Bhagat and Palak Kohli stand at rank no 31 with a total point 50. Pramod Bhagat is already representing India in Men’s single SL-3 and similarly, Palak Kohli is representing India in Women’s single SU-5 and women’s double SL-3 SU-S event, along with Parul Dalsukhbhai Parmar.
Advocate Sunny Singhla, appearing on behalf of the petitioner, informed the court that the Selection Committee of Paralympic Committee of India and the Badminton Association of India had selected Indian pair rank 31 namely Pramod Bhagat and Palak Kohli over Indian pair rank 6 namely Raj Kumar and Parul Dalsukhbhai Parmar. This has caused grave injustice to the petitioner, as he is being denied a legitimate opportunity to represent his country.