Players move Delhi HC against AICF
PTI | Oct 17, 2012, 09.03PM IST
NEW DELHI: The Centre’s response was sought by the Delhi high court on a PIL alleging that the All India Chess Federation (AICF) had allowed “inexperienced” players to take part in national and international chess championships and also issued them participation certificates to get benefit under sports quota.
Issuing notice to the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, All India Chess Federation and Sports Authority of India (SAI), a bench of Chief Justice D Murugesan and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw sought their replies by December 12 on PIL filed by two national level chess players which said “issuance of such certificates to inexperienced players is leading to exploitation of the sports quota in the educational institutes and also in government jobs”.
Filing the PIL through counsel Rekha Palli, petitioners Karun Duggal and Gurpreet Singh also said that for the upcoming National School Chess Championship, scheduled from 26th October at Delhi, the federation has abolished the entire eligibility criterion.
“The only eligibility criteria for participation is an entry fee of Rs 1500 for individuals and Rs 3,000 for teams whereby each state association or school association or schools has been allowed enter an unlimited number of players in each of the 14 age groups,” as per the PIL.
They urged the court to restrain the country’s highest chess body from issuing participation certificates to special or donor entries in the upcoming national school chess championship.
“By charging a very high entry fee for national events even for the general entrants who come through a tough selection, the AICF is indirectly preventing talented but poor players from participating….,” the plea said.
The petitioners’ counsel argued that “AICF by permitting persons to play in World/ Commonwealth/ Asian/ National/ State Chess Championships organised by it, without undergoing any kind of selection at any stage is wholly illegal and arbitrary and an abuse of the special status granted to it by the Centre.”
The Federation is receiving grants from the ministry and also gets assistance from SAI for promotion of chess and the body cannot be allowed to permit wholly inexperienced players or non-players to participate in various level championships merely because they can pay the higher special or donor entry fee, the counsel said.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
That’s too bad.