New Delhi: The Delhi High Court said Monday that a player should not suffer in courts ahead of international events and suggested the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) to give a clean chit to ace paddler Manika Batra, who had approached the court against the selection process of the apex table tennis body.
A single bench of Justice Rekha Palli observed that there was no question of misconduct from the player’s side, and noted that there is nothing wrong in seeking a personal coach.
The bench also said that the country cannot afford a player doing the rounds in courts ahead of international events. The court also asked the TTFI to bring the reits correspondences on record at the next hearing November 17.
The high court was hearing a petition filed by Batra seeking quashing of rules mandating compulsory attendance at national coaching camps for selection in international events.
She had knocked the doors of the court seeking her inclusion at the Asian Table Tennis Championship, which was to be held at Doha from September 28, while also seeking the scrutiny of the conduct of TTFI in not selecting her for the Asian Championships.
On September 23, the Delhi High Court had put an interim stay on TTFI’s rules that made it compulsory for players to attend a national camp for selection in international events.
Batra had also alleged that she has been a target of the TTFI just because she has come out against the apex body, and that she was being treated like an accused. Rather than being able to focus on her matches and tournaments, she was being called by the international federation to provide evidence, she had said.
The court had also asked the Sports Ministry to file an enquiry report related to the conduct of TTFI officials in not selecting Batra in a sealed cover.
Batra had made history at the Tokyo Olympics by becoming the first player from the country to reach the third round at the Games before losing to Austria’s Sofia Polcanova.
