Bengaluru, Nov 8 – The Karnataka High Court recently issued a directive to the Badminton Association of India (BAI) to formulate guidelines enabling tournaments like the Grand Prix Badminton League (GPBL) by other entities for registered players or coaches. The Court emphasized the need for guidelines and instructed BAI to publish them expeditiously within six months.
Rejecting BAI’s plea, Justice R Devdas stated that Badminton World Federation (BWF) regulations do not impose a blanket restriction on considering tournaments by other entities. The Court observed that BWF regulations allow applications from interested members or entities through the member association to seek permission for conducting tournaments with registered players, coaches, and technical staff.
Justice Devdas noted that BWF regulations are carefully crafted to facilitate the participation of top-ranked players in BWF-conducted and sanctioned tournaments. He emphasized that players cannot be prohibited from participating in tournaments not recognized by the BWF or its member associations, highlighting the provision for making applications and seeking sanction for tournaments in BWF regulations.
The Court ordered BAI to develop guidelines for accepting applications and sanctioning tournaments in consultation with the BWF. The case revolved around the right of sportspersons to participate in tournaments organized by entities not recognized by the BWF globally.
Earlier, the Court had stayed circulars issued by BAI warning against participation in ‘unrecognized’ tournaments, but the Supreme Court set aside the order in August. The recent directive comes as a development in the ongoing legal battle concerning the participation of players in tournaments organized by non-BWF entities.
Representatives for the GPBL promoter and a coach included senior advocate Udaya Holla, Srinivasan Raghavan, Lomesh Kiran, Twinkle J Chadwa, Rachita Shah, and L Srinivas. Advocates Unnikrishnan M and M Pradeep represented the Union of India, while senior advocates Prof Ravivarma Kumar and Vivek Subba Reddy, along with advocates KN Subba Reddy and HV Manjunath, represented the Badminton Association of India.
