Delhi High Court Directs Inquiry By 3-member Committee Into Manika Batra's Allegation Of Match-Fixing

The committee will comprise two judges and one sportsperson and details would be given in the order, said the judge who had earlier directed the Sports Ministry to hold an inquiry against the sports body.

The Delhi High Court Wednesday directed the constitution of a three-member committee to look into star Table Tennis player Manika Batra's allegation of a match-fixing attempt by the national coach and sought an interim report in four weeks. Justice Rekha Palli, who was hearing Batra's petition alleging that Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) was carrying out its selection processes in a non-transparent manner and targeting certain individuals such as herself, said that based on the committee's report, she would consider the issue of appointing an administrator to run the national sports body.

The committee will comprise two judges and one sportsperson and details would be given in the order, said the judge who had earlier directed the Sports Ministry to hold an inquiry against the sports body. The court clarified that for the time being, except for informing the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) about the withdrawal of all action against Batra, TTFI would not write to the international body regarding her.

In case ITTF needs any information, TTFI would transfer the request to the three-member committee, it added.

Batra, who was left out of the Indian contingent for the Asian Table Tennis Championships, alleged in her petition that the national coach Soumyadeep Roy “pressurized” her to “throw away” an Olympic qualifier match in favour of one of his trainees.