The Supreme Court has expressed its unwillingness to intervene in sports matters, citing cricket and other games are now all about business. The bench allowed a petition related to Jabalpur Cricket Association to be withdrawn, stressing courts should stay away from commercialised sports.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday said that it is time the judiciary avoids getting involved in sports matters, especially cricket.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, while hearing a petition linked to a cricket association in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, expressed its views sharply.
Justice Nath remarked,
“There is nothing like sport now in cricket. It is a fact. It is all business.”
The observation was made during the hearing of a petition challenging a Madhya Pradesh High Court order concerning the affairs of the Jabalpur Division Cricket Association. The bench noted that too many cases related to cricket were coming up before the court.
Justice Nath even asked the lawyers,
“Today, we are playing cricket. Three-four matters. One is already adjourned for the second round. This is the second one. There are two more. How many test matches will you play today?”
The petitioner’s counsel responded by saying that the country has a deep love for the game.
The lawyer told the court,
“The country is obsessed with cricket,”
Justice Nath, however, pointed out that the judiciary cannot continue to intervene in every such dispute. He said,
“I think it is high time that this court should keep its hands off in cricket, badminton, volleyball and basketball.”
The petitioner’s lawyer explained why such disputes often reach the Supreme Court.
“The issue is, the stakes have become very high in all of these matters,”
he said, adding further that
“In any game, which has become commercialised, that is bound to happen.”
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The bench showed unwillingness to hear the petition any further. Seeing this, the counsel asked for permission to withdraw the plea. The court agreed and allowed the plea to be withdrawn.
This order once again highlighted the Supreme Court’s concern about the increasing commercialisation of sports, particularly cricket, and its unwillingness to step into every administrative or financial dispute involving sports bodies.
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