SUNIL TANWAR Vs. UNION OF INDIA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The petitioner has filed the present petition, inter alia, impugning the decision of the respondents to confer the Dronacharya Award, 2018 on respondent no. 4 recognizing him as an outstanding coach in the discipline of Athletics. The petitioner further prays that directions be issued to respondent no. 2 (Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports) and respondent no. 3 (Dronacharya Selection Committee, 2018), to consider the nomination of the petitioner for the said award based on the merit system, as per the scheme for Dronacharya Award for Outstanding Coaches in Sports and Games (amended as on 03.02.2016) (hereafter 'the Scheme').

(2.) The petitioner is a national level coach with the Sports Authority of India. The petitioner trained the athlete, Sh. Devendra Jhajaria for the International Paralympics Committee Athletics World Championship, Doha, Qatar, 2015 wherein Sh. Devendra Jhajharia secured a silver medal. Subsequently, he won a gold medal at the Para Olympics, 2016 held in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil with the petitioner as his coach. Devendra Jhajaria was also conferred with the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 2017.

(3.) On 22.02.2018, respondent no.2 issued a notification inviting nominations for eligible outstanding coaches in sports and games for the Dronacharya Award, 2018.