Jithin Paul doping case: NADA ready with order but defers announcement

The National Anti Doping Agency (NADA)'s Appeals Panel is ready with its order on suspended 400m hurdler Jithin Paul but will announce it in a few days time.

Paul, a former 400m hurdles champion, had appealed against the Anti Doping Disciplinary Panel (ADDP)'s verdict of suspending him for four years for possession of banned substance meldonium in his room at National Institute of Sports (NIS) Patiala during a NADA search on April 17, last year.

The ADDP panel had passed its verdict in February this year after concluding that Paul had "no reasonable justification for possession of the prohibited substance in his room".

An unhappy Paul had then appealed against the verdict to the appeals panel (ADAP) which had concluded last of its series of hearing on June 14.

"The ADAP panel comprising Justice RV Easwar, Dr Navin Dang and Vinay Lamba are ready with their order but Justice Easwar had some commitments on July 17 when the verdict was to be announced. But he is available now and it will come out any moment," a NADA source told PTI today.

In case the ADAP upholds the ADDP decision of four years, then Paul's sentence will be counted from the period of his provisional suspension from May 22, 2017.