The Madras High Court today ordered notice to the Secretary, Union Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs, seeking an explanation within two weeks on a petition by a paralympic athlete to declare as illegal the selection of three candidiates for the "Dhyan Chand Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sports and Games 2015"
Justice R Subbiah ordered notice to the Secretary on the petition filed by Ranjith Kumar who had won 10 gold medals, five silver medals and seven bronze in various international paralympic meets.
The petitioner submitted that he had participated in 20 international events and won the medals between 2002 and 14. In the Belgian paralympic championship, he bagged gold in javelin and bronze in shot put. At the eighth Fespic (Asian meet), he won silver in shot put.
Kumar said the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu appointed him as the athletic coach for physically challenged in 2007. He had produced 10 sportsmen of global standards and promoted 37 other physically-challenged sportsmen. He was awarded the President's medal for best sportsmen and bagged the best employee award of the state government in 2012.
The petitioner said he submitted his nomination for the award as he fulfilled the criteria, getting 60 per cent for medals and 30 per cent for contributing for sports promotion. He also got vigilance clearance.
But the government had announced three names for the award, including Romeo James (hockey), Sivaprakash Mishra (Tennis) and T P P Nair (Volleyball) for the award on August 26 this year.
Kumar said he was shocked to find that his name had been ignored 'simply because he was a paralympics sportsperson' and sought a direction to declare the list as illegal and to render justice to him.
