Ensure gender parity of athletes in events: Delhi HC to sports ministry

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has directed the central sports ministry to ensure parity when it comes to participation of men and women athletes in the events of the national sports federations.

Justice Sachin Datta also directed the ministry to ensure that the pool of participating athletes was "broad enough" to include not only the athletes who had participated in international events, but it must also adequately accommodate those who participated in domestic or local or Khelo India sporting events.

The court order of March 12 came on a plea challenging a February 13, 2025 notification issued by the Badminton Association of India (BAI), restricting the participation of women para-athletes by providing them with only eight slots per event whereas men para-athletes received 16 slots.

"It is a matter of record that female athletes have brought significant sporting glory to the country and this court cannot countenance a situation where equilibrium is not maintained between the male and female contingents in sporting events," it added.

The judge said the allocation of lesser slots to women para-athletes did not commend itself to the court.

The principle of gender parity in sports was mandated under constitutional provisions as also in terms of the National Sports Development Code of India, 2011, it said.

The court added, "... it is directed that the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports must endeavour to ensure that parity is maintained in the participation of male and female athletes in sporting events organised by the National Sports Federations."

The court, as a result, disposed of a plea of one Rahul Kumar Verma challenging the BAI's circular, notifying the selection criteria for participation in the para-badminton events under the second Khelo India Para Games, 2025, to be held in Delhi between March 20 and March 22.

The plea said the notification amounted to discrimination against women athletes and was contrary to the National Sports Development Code of India, 2011.

The court also termed as "untenable" the submission of BAI's counsel who attributed the reduced slots of the women para-athletes to the reduced pool of performing international athletes in the sporting events concerned.

The court said there was no reason why the participation of women para-athletes should not be augmented by drawing from the pool of para-athletes who participated in the National Para-badminton Championship, 2024 and the Khelo India Para Games, 2023.

It would also allay the concern that disproportionate weightage has been given to participation in international events, it added.

The BAI counsel said in the upcoming Khelo India Para Games, 2025, it would try to increase the participation of women para-athletes by providing for additional slots by drawing from the pool of participants in the National Para-badminton Championship, 2024 and the Khelo India Para Games, 2023.

Taking note of the submission and the fact that the Khelo India Para Games, 2025 were just round the corner, the court refrained from "passing any peremptory/binding directions".