JOIN USThe Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed a plea by India’s first rowing Olympian Subedar Indarpal Singh, to participate in umpires examination scheduled to be held on June 10, despite a two-year ban imposed on him by the Rowing Federation of India.
A vacation bench of Justices A K Sikri and U U Lalit granted the Arjuna awardee permission to appear in the examinations for selection of umpires as his counsel Neela Gokhale contended that the ban imposed on the athelete was without any enquiry, charge sheet or hearing.
The counsel claimed that August 25 last ban and sanctions on the athelete, now acting as coach, while serving in the Indian Army, came in his way of participating in any event. The petitioner challenged a Bombay High Court order refusing to intervene into the matter. The high court had March 4 rejected his request to allow him as an interim measure to participate in any event being organised by the Rowing Feferation of India saying it would amount to grant of final relief to him.
The apex court said that it would allow him to appear in examinations for umpires to which the last date for submission of forms was fixed as May 20. “Since it (high court’s order) is an interim order, we are not inclined to interfere at this stage. The writ petition filed by the petitioner should be decided as expeditiously as possible,” the bench said in the order.