Manika Batra’s match-fixing allegation: former SC judge Vikramjit Sen at the head of a 3-member commission of inquiry | Other sports news

[ad_1]

The Delhi High Court has appointed a three-member panel chaired by former Supreme Court Justice Vikramjit Sen to examine table tennis player Manika Batra’s allegation of an attempted match-fixing by the national coach. Another former Supreme Court justice, Justice AK Sikri and Arjuna Awardee and athlete Padma Shri Winner, Gurbachan Singh Randhawa, will also be on the committee, Justice Rekha Palli said, while addressing Batra’s petition against the Indian Table Tennis Federation (TTFI).

Batra, who was excluded from India’s contingent for the Asian table tennis championships, moved the pitch earlier this year, alleging that national coach Soumyadeep Roy put pressure on her to cancel a qualifying match. Olympic Games in favor of one of its trainees. She also claimed that TTFI conducts its selection processes in a non-transparent manner and targets certain people like her.

Given the seriousness of the allegations made by the applicant, the judge asked the committee to conduct the investigation as quickly as possible and to submit its report preferably within four weeks. However, since this Court had already ordered on September 23, 2021, that the allegations made by the applicant must be examined by an independent body other than Respondent No.1 (TTFI), and since the Committee appointed by the respondent not. 2 (Center) did not consider the same, it is considered appropriate to appoint a three-member committee to review the Applicant’s complaints against Respondent # 3 (National Coach) and other officials of Respondent # 3. 1 in its correspondence dated August 14, 26 and September 17, 2021, the court said in its order issued on November 17.

The court noted that the parties would cooperate with the process and said the committee would be free to adopt its own procedure subject to the principles of natural justice. Each of the three Committee members, including the Chairman, will receive a sum of Rs five lakhs each – an amount which will be borne by Respondent No. 1 Federation, as undertaken on her behalf by her council. The location of the investigation will be organized by Respondent Federation # 1 in consultation with the Chairman of the Committee, and related expenses, as well as secretarial services, if any, will also be borne by Respondent Federation # 1. ° 1, she added.

In her petition, Commonwealth Games gold medalist and award winner Khel Ratna sought to overturn TTFI rules requiring mandatory national camp attendance for coaches for selection in international events. The country’s top-ranked player Batra’s petition claimed that the national coach, with a clear conflict of interest, simultaneously ran a private table tennis academy and, on one occasion, lobbied the petitioner to that she cancels a game only to help one of her interns from her private academy qualify for the 2020 Olympics.

The paddler later claimed that she was the target of the national federation for bringing her grievances to court and that now the international federation was also treating her as an accused. On November 16, TTFI said the sports body’s board of directors decided to recall the cause of the show as well as all subsequent actions against the paddler and urged the court to allow him to prove his good faith.

Previously, the Center had declared that the federations’ rule on compulsory participation in the national camp went against the sports code and went against merit. TTFI had defended the rule and said such a mandate was also present in other sports, including weightlifting and judo.

While upholding the rule on September 23, the court said mandatory national camp attendance was imposed at a time when a complaint was pending against the national coach and that did not inspire confidence.

On November 15, the court said it wanted any player to be unnecessarily harassed and asked TTFI to give the petitioner a good opinion. In view of the report of an investigation carried out by the Center in accordance with its instructions, the court noted that no fault could be attributed to the player.

He also arrested the TTFI for going beyond its order ordering the Center to investigate its affairs, claiming he would take suo motu outrage.

[ad_2]