THE HON’BLE SRI JUSTICE VENKATESWARLU NIMMAGADDA WRIT PETITION No.268 OF 2024 ORDER:-

1. This writ petition is filed claiming the following relief: “…to issue a Writ, Order or Direction more particularly nature of Certiorarified Mandamus, or any other appropriate writ, by granting the following reliefs:

a. To call for the entire original records pertaining to the Selection Committee process for selecting the Respondent Nos.15 & 16 for the “Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award” for the year 2023.

b. To quash the decision of the Selection Committee in selecting the Respondents Nos.15 & 16 for the „Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award‟ for the year 2023, consequently direct the Respondents to give the said „Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award‟ to the Writ Petitioner for the year 2023.

c. To pass such other order or orders as this Hon‟ble Court may deem fit and proper in the circumstances of the case in the interest of justice...”

2. The case of the petitioner is as follows:

3. The petitioner herein is recognized by the Government of India, Ministry of Sports, as well as the State Government for the following Awards:-

a. Arjuna Award for excellence in Archery by Government of India in the year 2017.

b. Exceptional Achievement Award by Government of India in the year 2002.

c. Pratibha Puraskar by Government of Andhra Pradesh in the year 2001.

d. India Unbound Excellency Award-2018 for excellence in sports.

e. Pride of Andhra - Apsara Award by Zee TV Telugu for excellence in sports in the year 2018.

f. Young Achiever Award by Sakshi Media in the year 2016.

g. Krida Ratna Award by Akkineni Foundation, USA in the year 2014.

4. In so far as International Medals are concerned from 2011 to 2023, the petitioner won 20 Gold Medals, 18 Silver Medals and 15 Bronze Medals in the international tournaments.

5. For achieving the above said medals tally and achieving the excellence in the said Sport of Archery, the petitioner had to sacrifice her personal life. In this process, she missed out the normal 'hashal & kushal' life like any other child. The childhood which the petitioner had forsaken for the purpose of excelling in the Sports cannot be brought-back by anyone and she had brought laurels to our Country in all the international sports events wherever participated. The petitioner made our Tiranga flutter very high' in every International Tournament and she believes in the song 'Sare jahan se acha'

and 'Jana gana mana' playing at international sports events.

6. In general / basically the Selection Committee which is constituted by the Government of India, decides the conferring of awards. This committee comprises of eminent sports persons, sports journalists / experts /

commentators and Government officials.

7. The Committee will determine its own work procedure to be followed at the meetings. But they shall follow the guidelines/criteria, framed by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, as a policy named Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. The committee can recommend only one Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award every year, to be given to an individual sports person and in exceptional circumstances the Committee may relax this condition. Owing to such an exception, in the past, several times multiple Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award had been awarded to the sports- persons with spectacular and most outstanding performance in the field of sports over the period of previous four years. The list of such awardees in year wise are filed herewith as material papers along with this Writ Petition. Under this Policy, the criteria to be followed by the Selection Committee is predetermined, where under, 80% weightage marks is given to the Sports persons medals won by them, therefore, it has to be strictly followed by the Selection Committee and they cannot add or subtract or reduce the marks in this 80% category. And the remaining 20% weightage marks will be given by the Selection Committee Members, where the discretion given to the Selection Committee is very limited. The