Manika Batra-TTFI row: Delhi High Court temporarily stays federation’s rules on attending national camp

The Delhi High Court has put a temporary stay on the Table Tennis Federation of India’s rule that states that players have to attend the national camp to be eligible for selection for international competitions after Manika Batra filed a petition against her being dropped from the Indian squad for the Asian Championship . Manika was dropped the squad for the Asian Championships as she had not attended the national camp ahead of the announcement of the team. (Reuters Photo)HIGHLIGHTSThe court had earlier asked for Centre’s stand on the matterBatra was left out of India which will be featuring at Asian ChampionshipsShe filed the petition three days after the announcement of the squadThe Delhi High Court has ordered a temporary stay on the Table Tennis Federation of India’s (TTFI) rules that made it compulsory for a player to attend a national camp in order to be eligible for selection for international events after star paddler Manika Batra had filed a petition against her getting dropped from the Indian squad for the Asian Championships.

The championships, which is set to be held in Doha, Qatar, starts on September 28. The squad was announced on September 15 with Sutirtha Mukherjee leading India’s challenge in women’s singles in Manika’s absence. Manika, 26, sent a mail to the TTFI to include her name for the Asian championship on September 17 and the following day, moved the Delhi High Court.The Court had earlier asked the counsel appearing for the Central Government to take instruction on the petition filed by Manika Batra before listing the matter for further hearing on September 23.The Court noted that Manika Batra is the highest-ranking player in the country and suggested that there should be some balance in taking such decisions.Batra filed a petition on account of the omissions and commissions of the the Table Tennis Federation of India and issuing the Rules and Regulations for National Camps dated August 4 this year, which she said are arbitrary, capricious and unsustainable.Click here for our site’s complete coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.