Sports Quota Denied to Silambam Champion

A gold medalist in a national-level Silambam event was disqualified from applying for the post of constable under the sports quota because a defunct association conducted the championship. While noting that the case was unfortunate and the petitioner was an innocent victim caught in the crossfire, the court dismissed the writ petition, citing that the entity was non-existent in the eye of the law.  

The petitioner won a gold medal at the national level event conducted by the All-India Silambam Federation (AISF) in 2022, and a certificate was issued to her by the Tamil Nadu Amateur Silambam Association (TNASA). The disqualification slip was issued to her on the grounds that the State Development Authority of Tamil Nadu does not recognise the TNASA. TNASA is affiliated with AISF, which was declared to be a defunct society in 2019. Although the withdrawal of the recognition by the Central Government was effective only from 29.07.2022, and the competition was held before that date since the entity was non-existent, the so-called recognition that was subsisting till 29.07.2022 also pales into insignificance.