Delhi HC appoints Bindra and Somaya to oversee funds for sports federations

The Delhi High Court has appointed Abhinav Bindra, the Olympic gold medallist, and former hockey player M M Somaya to a committee that will oversee the disbursement of funds to sports federations for selecting teams to represent India in the Asian Games. The court has ordered the committee to ensure that the funds are spent only on sportspersons and their training, and not on office bearers of sports federations who are not concerned with the sportspersons. 

The government funds should be allocated for the training and travel of sportspersons, arranging coaches for them, procuring necessary equipment, and availing services like physiotherapy. The high court passed the order while modifying its June 3, 2022 ruling, where the court had directed the Centre not to provide money or assistance to those national sports federations which were not functioning in compliance with the laws concerning the administration of sports in India. 

The court has also appointed Abhinav Bindra and M M Somaya as members of the committee, which will oversee the disbursement of funds to various sports federations for selecting Indian teams for various disciplines to represent the country in the Asian Games. The games will be held in Hangzhou, China, from September 23, 2023, to October 8, 2023. The court listed the matter for further hearing on May 30.

 The court has passed the order on a petition filed by senior advocate Rahul Mehra, who has challenged the government's decision to renew the recognition of several sports federations, even though they were allegedly not in compliance with the National Sports Development Code of India, 2011.