Paralympian Yogesh Kathuniya, a two-time silver medallist, has taken legal action after being excluded from the Khel Ratna 2024 list, alleging discrimination and procedural bias. Kathuniya claims the award process overlooked his achievements and raised concerns about the timing of the list’s release, aimed to block court intervention. With the Delhi High Court directing a reassessment of his candidature, Kathuniya vows to continue his fight for equality in sports recognition.
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NEW DELHI: Two-time Paralympic silver medallist Yogesh Kathuniya has shared his decision to approach the court regarding his exclusion from the list of Khel Ratna Awardees for 2024. Kathuniya alleged that the National Sports Awards list was intentionally released on January 2 during the week when courts were closed, claiming this timing was planned to prevent any immediate legal action.
A silver medallist at the 2024 Paris Paralympics and a recipient of the Arjuna Award for his silver in the men’s discus throw F56 event at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, he decided to challenge his non-inclusion in the Major Dhyanchand Khel Ratna Award list by moving to the Delhi High Court.
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The Delhi High Court has now directed the Central Government’s selection committee to reassess Kathuniya’s candidature for the prestigious award. Expressing his disappointment, Kathuniya shared,
“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.”
Highlighting his frustration, he added,
“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.”
Kathuniya further alleged,
“The list was released on January 2 because the courts were closed for a week. All these things are planned so that I don’t take any action. That’s why I filed an appeal in the High Court on January 7. Everything was already planned, and getting court dates so quickly is very difficult. Still, the court listened to our case.”
The 27-year-old para-athlete pointed out that of the four sportspersons awarded the Khel Ratna this year, only one is a para-athlete, alleging “discrimination” in the distribution of sports awards. Reflecting on this, he said,
“If we don’t fight for our rights, what will happen? Because of these things, I missed out on my workouts, and many other things are missed as well. I know I am deserving. If I’m not deserving, then I want to ask—have you noticed something about the Khel Ratna Awards? There’s one Paralympian and three Olympians.”
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He continued,
“This discrimination has been going on for years, and it will continue unless someone raises the voice. I want to eliminate this discrimination, which is why I turned to the court for help.”
When asked about support from the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI), Kathuniya explained,
“PCI has no control over this; what PCI can do is help us compete and move forward. The awards are in the hands of the Ministry. If I didn’t take this step today, who knows who would have received the award in the coming years? Many athletes have received the Arjuna Award or Khel Ratna just for one medal.”
He elaborated further,
“A Paralympian needs to win a medal at the Paralympics to even get an Arjuna Award, while an Olympian can easily get the Arjuna Award just by playing at the Asian Games. Why does this discrimination happen? No one has raised a question about it.”
Looking ahead to his upcoming goals, Kathuniya shared that he is focusing on the Para-Athletics World Championships, scheduled to be held in New Delhi from September 26 to October 5.
He stated with determination,
“I will play in the World Championships, and no one can stop me. I will perform, and nobody can stop me.”
In addition to his Paralympic achievements, Kathuniya is also a three-time Para World Championships medallist and recently secured a silver medal in the F56 category at the 2023 Asian Para Games.
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