Excelsior Sports Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Aug 17: High Court directed the authorities to consider and permit the International athlete, Canoeing and Kayaking Sports Star from Kashmir, Bilquis Mir, to take part as member jury in the Paralympic Games to be held in Paris and Uzbekistan subject fulfilling formalities.
Justice M A Chowdhary disposed of the plea of Mir with a direction to the authorities to consider permission and No Objection in her favour, so as to allow her to travel abroad for taking part as a Judge/Member Jury in the Olympic Games and World Championship to be held in Paris and Uzbekistan from August 20 to September 11, 2024.
The Court directed this exercise be done within a week’s time from the date a copy of this Judgment is made available to the authorities. The court also clarified that while doing such exercise, the authorities shall, besides other factors, take into account the annual property returns filed by Mir for consideration of her Vigilance Clearance.
“It is expected that the authorities shall not unnecessarily delay their decision, as in case of grant of permission/ No Objection, the Petitioner may be able to participate in the aforementioned International Sports events scheduled at Samarkand and Paris from 20th of August, 2024 to 11th of September, 2024”, read the judgment
The athlete as per the authorities is not being allowed to travel abroad as she is facing investigation in FIR no.23/2023 under Section 5 (1)(d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, regarding her appointment as Physical Education Teacher and such requires mandatory vigilance clearance by ACB before processing her case for a visit to foreign country.
The court with regard to FIR has been apprised by the counsel representing Mir that the same (FIR) has already been challenged by her before this Court in a separate plea and the court has directed that investigation in the FIR will go on but respondent-authorities shall not present the challan without prior permission of this Court.
The Applicant/ Petitioner has pleaded that she, being aggrieved of the withholding of permission/ No Objection arbitrarily by the Non-Applicants/ Respondents in view of her nomination/ selection as a Judge/ Member Jury in the Olympic Games and World Championship scheduled to be held in Paris and Samarkand from 20th of August, 2024 till 11th of September, 2024, is filing the present application seeking a direction upon the Non-Applicants/ Respondents to accord the requisite permission/ No Objection in her favour, so to facilitate her participation in the aforesaid Olympic Games and World Championship.
Justice Chowdhary said that withholding of permission, without passing a speaking order, appears to be arbitrary, particularly when the Respondent-authorities had been approached not only by Mir seeking permission/ No Objection, but the National Sports Association had also approached the authorities recommending that permission/ No Objection be granted in her favour.
“It may not be, out of place to mention here, that in case there is no serious hindrance for grant of permission/ No Objection in favour of the Petitioner, she should have been allowed to participate in the aforesaid International Sports events, as her participation therein as a Judge/ Member Jury, would certainly bring great pride to the nation”, reads the judgment
Mir has been selected as a Judge (ITO) for the Paralympic Games to be held in Paris, France, from August 28th to September 8th, 2024, and is nominated from Asia for 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris from 3rd September to 9th September, 2024, as a first ever Technical Officer from India.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
