No relief for sprinter Manjit, Delhi High Court gives nod for National Sports Awards

The Sports Authority of India and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports were served notifications by the high court, which then requested their responses to the petition. The judge ruled that, "The award function cannot be interdicted at this stage" and that if, after the authorities have filed their answers, the court decides that the petitioner's case has to be taken into consideration, it will determine if a relaxation of the scheme is necessary.

Anil Soni, the standing attorney for the central government, argued that on November 14 the prizes were announced and that Wednesday was set aside for the celebration. He said that although the other athlete who would get the award is identified in the petition, he is not made a party to the dispute.

In 2018, India won five gold medals at the Asian Games, and all other individual athletes excluding the petitioner had already received the Award, according to the statement. "Petitioner has been continuously nominated for the past 4 years and has not been considered for the Arjuna Award to date despite being meritorious. This is the last chance when the petitioner can be considered and after that, he shall not remain eligible for Arjuna Award," the plea submitted.