NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday got here down closely on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in search of to restrain the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) from referring to its gamers because the “Indian cricket team”, dismissing the plea as a “sheer wastage” of judicial time.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!A Division Bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela rebuked the petitioner, advocate Reepak Kansal, who argued that because the BCCI is a non-public physique and never a government-recognised sports activities federation, it has no authority to name its aspect “Team India.”The courtroom was fast to reject this line of reasoning.“Are you saying the team doesn’t represent India? This team, which is going everywhere and representing India, you are saying they don’t represent India? Is it not Team India? If it is not Team India, please tell us why is it not Team India,” Justice Gedela questioned sharply.
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Chief Justice Upadhyaya was equally agency, calling the petition a frivolous use of courtroom time.“It is sheer wastage of the court’s time and your own time. Tell us about a national team in any sport that is selected by government officials. Whether it’s the Commonwealth Games, Olympics, hockey, football, or tennis — are they not representing India?”Kansal’s PIL claimed that the BCCI, registered beneath the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act, will not be a statutory physique or a “State” beneath Article 12 of the Constitution. It additional alleged that referring to the workforce as “India” or using the nationwide flag violated the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950 and the Flag Code of India, 2002.However, the Bench dismissed these claims, observing that using the flag or nationwide name for illustration in sports activities doesn’t quantity to misuse.“If you want to unfurl a flag in your house, are you prohibited from doing so?” the courtroom remarked.The judges additionally famous that worldwide sports activities our bodies just like the International Olympic Committee (IOC) discourage authorities interference in sports activities administration.Ultimately, the courtroom dismissed the PIL, reaffirming that India’s cricket workforce — regardless of BCCI’s personal standing — represents the nation in each sense.
