Everything Was Planned So That I Cannot Take Any Action, Alleges Yogesh Kathuniya Over Khel Ratna Snub

Reflecting on his decision to move the court over his exclusion from the list of Khel Ratna Awardees for 2024, two-time Paralympic silver medallist Yogesh Kathuniya has claimed that the National Sports Awards list was released on January 2, deliberately coinciding with the week when the courts were closed, alleging that this timing was planned to prevent him from taking any action. Paris Paralympics 2024 silver medallist Kathuniya, who was earlier conferred the Arjuna Award for winning a silver medal in the men's discus throw F56 event at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, had approached the Delhi High Court challenging his non-inclusion in the list of awardees of the Major Dhyanchand Khel Ratna Award for 2024.

The Delhi High Court, on Wednesday, directed the Central Government's selection committee to reassess the candidature of Paralympic discus thrower for the prestigious Khel Ratna Award.

Speaking to IANS, Kathuniya vented his frustration over not being nominated for the elusive award, saying, "I had to go to court because we were waiting for the final list to see if they would recognize their mistakes. But even then, they didn't consider it. These things are in the hands of SAI. We had even challenged the decision based on the highest aggregate marks, which is as per the rules. Everything is clearly mentioned, including how many points are for the Paralympics and World Championships.

"Despite having all the required points and representing India, the thing we deserve is not being given. I didn't want to regret not doing anything about it, so I went to the Delhi High Court. The judge has passed an order to reconsider my candidature. Now we'll see what they do. So far, there has been no response from their side,"