Chennai: The Madras high court has directed the Special Olympic Bharat-Tamil Nadu to allow three players, who are intellectually disabled, to participate in the Special Olympics International Football Championship, which is scheduled to be held from August 3 to 7 at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Chennai.
A division bench comprising Justices Vineet Kothari and C.V.Karthikeyan gave the directive while passing interim orders on a petition filed C.K.Mano Ranjani, which sought a direction to the Union government and Special Olympics Bharat to frame binding rules, regulations and guidelines for Special Olympics Bharat-Tamil Nadu, in respect of the manner in which the selection process and training of the intellectual disabled for each category of sports and their participation in the sport events and make it available in the officials web-site and newspapers.
In its order, the bench directed the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, Dr.J.Paul Devasagayam, Area Director, Special Olympics Bharat-Tamil Nadu and M.S.(John) Nagarajan, Senior Sports Manager to remain present in the court on August 5.
“Since the events are international events, starting tomorrow, we are not inclined to stop or postpone the entire event for the time being. But since these differently abled children have been made to loose their chance to participate in the selection process by the opaque selection process as alleged in the petition. Hence, the three players Dinesh Kumar, Prem Shankar and Kevin George shall be directed to be allowed to participate in the event”, the bench added.
The bench said Ravichandran, counsel appearing for the Lions Club International assures the court that the said directions will be carried out in letter and spirit. If State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, Paul Devasagayam and Nagarajan does not co-operate with the organizers for abiding by the said directions, a report to that effect may be placed before this court during the next date of hearing by Ravichandran, the bench added.
In her petition, the petitioner submitted that an organization exclusively for conducting sports for intellectually disabled was established in the name of “Sports Olympics Inc” in 1968. The organization conducts various sports from athletics to swimming for persons with intellectual disability. Nearly people with intellectual disability from around 172 countries take part in the Special Olympics.
But, unfortunately, till date there was no official announcement or circulation, inviting the parents of the intellectual disabled to participate in the selection process or any regional or local intimation and no such test or evaluation was conducted to select and train the candidates. On the other hand, by modus operandi, the authorities were continuing to select and train the candidates, whose parents pay them or for undue favouritism, whereby special sort of preference of selection was given to the wards of the parents. But, other deserving candidates have been left in dark and lurch, she alleged.
