Guidelines for Arjuna awards submitted to high court

The government on Wednesday submitted before the Delhi high court guidelines for selection of sportspersons for the prestigious Arjuna awards, stating that performance in international competitions will be the criteria for nomination and those testing positive for doping would not be considered.

The guidelines, limiting the number of persons to be awarded in a year to 15 and enhancing the cash award to Rs 300,000, was submitted before a division bench comprising Chief Justice S B Sinha and Justice A K Sikri.

Making a radical departure from the earlier criteria for selection, the guidelines said, the awards will be decided by a selection committee, constituted by the government, comprising a chairperson and 12 members distinguished in sports.

The chairperson must be a sportsperson of eminence and five members should be Olympians from different disciplines, it said, adding that four members should be Arjuna awardees from different disciplines and two sports administrators, with the Director/Deputy Secretary (Sports) in the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports as secretary.

Asking senior advocate Amrender Sharan, who was amicus curiae in the matter, to file suggestions within two weeks on the guidelines, the court fixed May 29 as the next date of hearing.

Asian discus throw champion Anil Kumar and former powerlifter Brij Bhushan Singh had challenged the government's policy on selection of Arjuna awardees, alleging that the awards were being "doled out" to undeserving persons.

While Anil Kumar challenged the selection of former sportspersons Rachna Govil and Kalpana Debnath for the award, Brij Bhushan Singh had questioned the Dronacharya award conferred on Bhupinder Singh.

The petitioners alleged that the awardees did not have creditable achievements to make themselves eligible for the highest sports honour in India.

However, the government stated that their names were recommended by the selection committee after due verification.

The court had allowed presentation of the awards to Govil and Debnath and Dronacharya award to powerlifting trainer Bhupinder Singh subject to the final judgement on the writ petitions, filed by Kumar and Brij Bhushan Singh.

The eligilibility criteria for the awards have been made strict with national level sportspersons being kept out of the purview of the Arjuna awards.

"To be eligible for the award, a sportsperson should have had not only good performances consistently for the previous three years at the international level with excellence for the year for which the award is recommended but also should have shown qualitities of leadership, sportsmanship and a sense of discipline," the guidelines said.

Taking strong view of the use of drugs by sportspersons to enhance their performance, the guidelines said: "Sportspersons found positive for the use of drugs banned by the International Olympic Committee in any laboratory accredited by IOC will not be eligible for Arjuna awards."

The government also specified the disciplines for which the awards may be conferred, stating that those featuring in Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, and those for which World Cup and World Championships are held including cricket, would be eligible.

The indigenous games and sports for physically challenged have also been kept within the ambit of the awards.

The guidelines said not more than one award will be given in each discipline in a particular year subject to deserving sportspersons being avalaible.

However, in the year succeeding Asian and Commonwealth Games an exception could be made for a second award in disciplines in which five medals have been won, the guidelines said.