Indian Express

Approach TFI individually: High Court

Express news service Posted online: Wed Nov 14 2012, 01:31 hrs
Mumbai : A vacation bench of Bombay High Court on Tuesday asked each of the 20 under-18 state-level champions to make a separate application to the Taekwondo Federation of India (TFI) against its decision not to allow the candidates to participate in the 32nd National Junior Taekwondo Championship games to be held on November 18 in Itanagar, Arunchal Pradesh.

The parents of the players had moved court contending that their children were not allowed to participate in the games despite being gold and silver medalists at state-level.

As per the rules, candidates who have won gold and silver medals at the state level championships are entitled to play national and then international games, the petitioners had contended.

“Two groups within the Taekwondo Association of Maharashtra are at loggerheads. Deserving children who have won gold and silver medals in state-level games are suffering,” the petition claimed.

The petitioners’ lawyer Balasaheb Deshmukh told the court that if each candidate files an application to the TFI, the authority must also be asked to consider the applications before the games begin on November 18.

The court, however, said as there was no written denial of permission from TFI, it cannot issue any such direction. “We had informed TFI that we are moving court but they made no representation before the court,” Deshmukh said.