Delhi High Court orders government to consider deaf sportspersons for Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award

The Delhi High Court on Monday ordered the Central government to create a fair selection framework that includes deaf sportspersons for consideration under the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, the highest sporting honour of the country [Virender Singh and ors v Union of India and Ors]. .Justice Sachin Datta further directed the government to extend the deadline for submission of applications for the award this year till the criteria is created. “In the circumstances, the respondents are directed to consider framing an appropriate criteria for considering conferring of ‘Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, 2025’ to deaf sportspersons. Let the same be done expeditiously and so as to enable the deaf sportspersons to submit applications for the purpose of ‘Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, 2025’. 2025’. Let the deadline/s for submission of the necessary application/s be extended suitably,” the Court ordered. .The Court passed the order while dealing with a petition filed by deaf athlete Virender Singh and others seeking parity between deaf and para-athletes.It was stated that while framing the criteria for conferring the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award 2025, no dispensation is created for deaf sportspersons..After considering the criteria, the Court observed that there is no scope for deaf sportspersons to even apply or be considered for conferment of the award, making it discriminatory against deaf sportspersons vis-à-vis para sportspersons. “The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 read with Schedule thereto, leaves no scope of discrimination between persons having hearing impairment vis-a-vis those having physical/locomoter disability. However, in the context of the aforesaid scheme, the lack of opportunity for deaf sportspersons has the impact of creating a discriminatory regime,” the Court observed. .Advocates Ajay Verma, Smriti S Nair and Sneha Sejwal appeared for the petitioners. Central Government Standing Counsel (CGSC) Premtosh Mishra as well as advocates Prarabdh Tiwari and Anurag Tiwari represented the Central government. .[Read Order]