HC seeks info on rules barring athletes from being awarded

The Delhi High Court today asked the city government to inform it about the rule which is coming in its way to recommend an international athlete based in the national capital for Rajiv Gandhi State Sports Award.
Justice Vibhu Bakhru sought a response from Delhi government by tomorrow on the plea of powerlifter Puran Singh Kadyan who complained that an amendment in Rule 6 of the award that a sports person born in Delhi would only be eligible for the recognition, has deprived him from being recommended for the prestigious award by the state.
Kadyan, who was not born in Delhi but has been here for 40 years and represented the team of the national capital and the country in different capacities as an athlete, a coach and a referee, sought that the amendment be quashed and his name included in the list of candidates eligible for the award.

"Rule 6 has been amended, in an arbitrary manner and has no nexus with the object of the scheme of the award. It is further submitted that the amended rule has caused prejudice to the petitioner.
"The amended rule 6 for conferring the award put an unreasonable condition that persons should be born and brought up in Delhi, which is in violation of the fundamental right guaranteed under the Constitution of India," the complaint filed by Kadyan's advocate Jairaj Mudgal and Neeraj Attri said.
As per the earlier rule 6, the person should be a resident of Delhi for five years continuously preceding the year in which the award is to be given.

"The amended rule 6 has eliminated the claim of the petitioner on account of malafide intention of the respondents (Delhi government and Directorate of Education, Sports Branch). Therefore, the amended rule 6 as well as list for the year 2011 for the award is liable to be quashed," it said while seeking directions to the government to reconsider his candidature for conferring the award.