New Delhi: The Delhi High Court Friday reserved its judgment on appeals filed by riders Anush Agarwalla and Sudipti Hajela challenging their exclusion from India’s dressage team for the 2026 Asian Games, after an extended hearing marked by sharp exchanges over the selection process, allegations of bias, and the production of private messages from ad-hoc committee chair Yashodhara Raje Scindia.
A Division Bench of Chief Justice D. K. Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia heard submissions from the riders, the Union government, the Equestrian Federation of India (EFI), the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and other parties before observing, “Arguments heard. Judgment reserved.”
The appeals challenge a 29 June order of a single judge that upheld the selection process for the 2026 Asian Games adopted by the EFI’s ad-hoc committee.
During Friday’s hearing, counsel for the EFI’s ad-hoc committee argued that the “best” riders had already been selected and contended that the appeals did not constitute “a fair attempt by genuine persons”. The committee further argued that, once the single judge had upheld the selection process, the Union government could not effectively sit in appeal over that decision by proposing an independent evaluation.
The EFI also argued that permitting such an exercise would amount to external interference in the functioning of a national sports federation. The Bench, however, clarified that any independent evaluation, if ordered, would be carried out with the assistance of the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and the IOA, with a nominee of the EFI also participating. The Court emphasised that such an exercise would not amount to commenting on the quality or correctness of the selections already made.
The EFI further alleged that the Union government was proceeding with a “pre-determined outcome” aimed at favouring one of the appellants. Senior counsel appearing for Agarwalla and Hajela reiterated their willingness to accept the Centre’s proposal for an independent evaluation.
The hearing also saw private text messages from former Lok Sabha member and ad-hoc committee chair Yashodhara Raje Scindia being placed before the court. The athletes argued that during the trial period, when they achieved high team minimum eligibility requirement (MER) scores, Scindia had congratulated them and indicated that they were qualifying under the prescribed criteria. However, when the selection list was issued, they found themselves excluded despite their scores.
The petitioners contended that the selection criteria had not been objectively and fairly applied to all riders. They argued that only individual MER scores should have been considered, while the EFI’s ad-hoc committee maintained that scores had to be assessed collectively across different rounds.
Appearing for the EFI, advocate Tanmay Mehta rejected the allegations, telling the court: “Repeating a lie a thousand times does not make it the truth. These athletes are trying to rig the competition.”
The court also questioned why no selection trials had been conducted. Responding, Lt. Colonel Sandeep Dewan, a member of the ad-hoc committee and selection committee, said the EFI was facing severe financial constraints.
“There is no money, and some of the riders do not even have visas,” Dewan told the court, adding that every decision of the ad-hoc committee had been taken keeping the interests of the riders in mind.
Dewan also objected to the athletes’ counsel placing private conversations with Scindia in the public domain.
The dispute follows the EFI ad-hoc committee’s refusal to accept the Union government’s proposal for an independent expert to evaluate the rankings of the six shortlisted riders.
A day earlier, the high court had recorded the Centre’s stand that it was prepared to undertake an evaluation of the six riders with the assistance of the SAI and IOA, while cautioning that organising such a process before 12 July could be “very cumbersome”. The court had asked the ad-hoc committee to seek instructions and explore an amicable solution.
However, the ad-hoc committee declined to consent to the proposal, while the IOA submitted that it lacked the expertise to conduct such a selection exercise. Although the court described the Centre’s proposal as a “welcome one”, it observed that the committee’s refusal made it impossible to pass an order acceptable to all parties.
The Bench also noted that the EFI ad-hoc committee had itself been constituted by the IOA pursuant to directions of the Delhi High Court and observed that the IOA retained supervisory powers over the committee.
Expressing displeasure with the committee’s stand, the Bench orally remarked, “Why are you making this an ego issue? Are you standing here for any particular athletes? If not then what’s your problem? The interests of the sport are paramount.”
The court subsequently directed the personal presence of IOA chief executive officer Raghuram Iyer.
The controversy stems from the 16 June selection list issued by the EFI’s ad-hoc committee for the dressage event at the 2026 Asian Games, to be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from 19 September to 4 October. Agarwalla and Hajela were named first and second reserve riders respectively, while four other riders secured places in the Indian team.
Earlier, on 29 June, the high court had sharply questioned the ad-hoc executive committee and the selection committee over their failure to follow the prescribed selection criteria under Clause 15 while finalising the Indian dressage team. The Bench observed that once the selection criteria had been framed, the authorities were expected to adhere to them and could not selectively ignore provisions while making the final selections.
The court also noted the practical difficulties of conducting a fresh selection exercise, observing that several horses and riders were stationed in different countries and that any new trials would have to account for international quarantine requirements before the Asian Games.
The present ad-hoc committee was constituted by the IOA in April this year, following directions from the Delhi High Court, to oversee the functioning of the Equestrian Federation of India and restore democratic governance in the sport. It is headed by Yashodhara Raje Scindia, while the dressage selection committee comprises Kapil Modi, Sandeep Dewan and Jai Rathore.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
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