New Delhi, Jan 16 The Delhi High Court on Thursday asked the selection committee of the Sports Ministry to reconsider the candidature of two-time Paralympic medallist Yogesh Kathuniya for the Khel Ratna Award.
The para-discus thrower, who won silver medals at the Tokyo and Paris Paralympics, petitioned the Delhi HC, over not being nominated for the Khel Ratna Award.
A bench of Justice Sachin Datta ordered the selection committee to conduct a fresh scrutiny of Kathuniya’s credentials and take a decision.
The Justice Datta-led Bench added that if Kathuniya is found eligible, then steps will be taken to confer the Khel Ratna Award to him.
The 27-year-old had expressed his outrage on social media and questioned the criteria for awarding Khel Ratna to athletes.
Kathuniya, who has so far bagged six medals at the international level, including two silver medals at the Paralympics, two silver and a bronze at the Para-athletics World Championships, and a silver at the Asian Para Games, is puzzled by the lack of recognition for his achievements.
"I would like to tell you that when I saw the list of awards, my name was not on the list. If you see, a lot of people have got Khel Ratna a long time ago, whose points are not so much. I have been filling continuously for 2-3 years. I have three medals in the World Championship, one medal in the Asian Games, and a medal each in the Paris Paralympics and Tokyo Paralympics. So, according to this, my points are also very high," he had said in a video posted on social media platform X.
Kathuniya, who received the Arjuna Award from President Ram Nath Kovind in November 2021, sought clarification from the Sports Ministry for the decision to overlook him.
"It is a matter with the Sports Ministry but they've not approached me so far. It is clear favouritism, players whose PR is good get the award. They overlook players like us. This kind of behaviour is disheartening for an athlete who has given eight years of his life to the country. Even if I'm playing for myself, I'm representing India. If I lose, India will lose and if I win, India will win," Kathuniya told IANS on December 28.
"I'll not wait for next year and move to the High Court and file a case. I have the highest aggregate marks and want a written reply as to why I'm not getting it," he had added.
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