New Delhi

Para-swimmer Prasanta Karmakar, a recipient of the Arjuna Award, filed a plea with the Delhi High Court contesting his suspension for allegedly filming female swimmers at the 2017 National Swimming Championships in Jaipur. The plea was denied.

Karmakar, a gold medallist from the Asian and Commonwealth Games, was barred from competing in any Paralympic Committee-hosted sporting event for three years in February of 2018.

The suspension was upheld by Justice Subramonium Prasad, who stated that Karmakar, the swimming team’s coach, had received complaints about improper videos and pictures he and his associate had taken of female swimmers.

The court observed that Karmakar behaved impolitely toward those in the stadium, including allegedly insulting the Chairman and representatives of the Indian Paralympic Committee. The court held that the decision made by Respondent No. 1’s Disciplinary Committee the Paralympic Committee of India could not be deemed to be unjust or unreasonable, thereby entitling the court to interfere under Article 226 of the Indian Constitution.

Justice Prasad emphasized that the General Code of Conduct applies to both athletes and coaches equally in response to the argument that it should only apply to athletes and not coaches.

The court clarified that the term athlete in Clause 19.1.6 of the Rules includes coaches and support staff, saying that all individuals involved in para sports must adhere to the Code of Conduct. Any alternative interpretation, the court warned, would contradict the spirit of the Bye-laws.