In a possible first in Indian sports history, the judiciary will witness and oversee a kabaddi match at the Indira Gandhi stadium in Delhi on Saturday.
This unprecedented step has been reportedly taken after India's debacle at the just-concluded Asian Games, where both the men's and women's teams failed to defend the title.
The said match will be played between the teams which had represented India at the Asiad and those who did not, the Indian Express reported.
The report added that Delhi High Court Justice (retired) SP Garg has been appointed as the observer by a bench comprising of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice VK Rao.
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The court had last month asked the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI) to hold the selection match while hearing a plea by former India player Mahipal Singh who has alleged wrongdoings in the selection process of both the men and women’s squads.
Mahipal had approached the High Court after the kabaddi teams were announced for the Asian Games with allegations of bribery in the Asian Games selection process.
The court, however, had decided to hold the process following the conclusion of the Asian Games in a bid to check the veracity of Mahipal’s allegations.
The Indian men’s team settled for bronze at the Asian Games after losing to Iran in the semi-finals, marking the first time the team failed to win gold at the Asian tourney. Meanwhile, the women’s team lost in the final to Iran and came away from the tournament with a silver.
