In a landmark ruling, the Delhi High Court has directed the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports to ensure gender parity in the participation of athletes in events organized by national sports federations. The directive, issued by Justice Sachin Datta on March 12, aims to broaden the participation base beyond international athletes to include those competing in domestic and local events, such as the Khelo India sporting events.
This decision came in response to a plea that challenged the fairness of a notification by the Badminton Association of India (BAI), dated February 13, 2025. The BAI had allocated only eight slots for women para-athletes per event compared to sixteen for their male counterparts in the upcoming second Khelo India Para Games 2025.
Justice Datta criticized the disparity, stating, “It is a matter of record that female athletes have brought significant sporting glory to the country and this court cannot countenance a situation where equilibrium is not maintained between the male and female contingents in sporting events.” He emphasized that gender parity is not only a constitutional mandate but also a requirement under the National Sports Development Code of India, 2011.
The court dismissed the argument presented by BAI’s counsel that the reduced slots for women were due to a smaller pool of performing international athletes, calling this rationale “untenable.” The ruling stressed the importance of also considering athletes who have participated in events like the National Para-badminton Championship 2024 and Khelo India Para Games 2023.
Responding to the court’s concerns, the BAI’s counsel indicated that efforts would be made to increase the number of slots for women para-athletes by including more participants from national events in the selection process for the Khelo India Para Games, scheduled to take place in Delhi from March 20 to March 22, 2025.
