LOKNITI FOUNDATION Vs. UOI

JUDGEMENT

(1.) THIS writ petition has raised a serious issue which concerns the age of players in different categories who aspire to be playing under the banner of the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA). The DDCA selects players in three categories:- (1) under 16; (2) under 19; and (3) under 22 years.

(2.) THERE have been a series of instances where the ages of the players have been found to be inaccurate and this leads to an unfair practice inasmuch as players who are above a particular age category manage to get themselves categorized in a lower age category and, obviously, because of their age advantage they are able to perform better. As an instance, if there is a 21 year old cricket player and he is able to get his age registered with the DDCA as being 18 years, he would be in a position to play in the under 19 category of tournaments and thereby he would have an advantage over other boys who are genuinely under the age of 19 years.

(3.) MR Maninder Singh submitted that it is now the policy of the DDCA and also of the BCCI that when a player enters in a tournament of the DDCA or of any other State Cricket Board his age determination is done through medical examination and the DDCA or the other State Cricket Boards do not rely blindly on the age documents/certificates supplied by the players or their guardians. He further submitted that once the age is determined at the entry point a database would now be maintained and the age so determined would remain unchanged throughout the playing career of the concerned player.