J&K&L High Court Questions Govt, Sports Bodies Over Failure To Respond To PIL Alleging Sports Code Violations; Grants 'Last Opportunity'

The High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh at Jammu has expressed strong displeasure over the continued failure of key government authorities and sports bodies to file their responses in a Public Interest Litigation alleging large-scale non-compliance with the National Development Sports Code of India, 2011 in sports associations across the Union Territory.A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Arun Palli and Justice Rajnesh Oswal was hearing a PIL instituted by former badminton players. The PIL raises serious concerns regarding the alleged hijacking of sports associations by ineligible office bearers, particularly within the J&K Badminton Association, in violation of statutory norms and guidelines issued by the J&K Sports Council.When the matter came up for consideration, Advocate S.S. Ahmed, appearing for the petitioners along with Advocates Supriya Chouhan and M. Zulkarnain Chowdhary, submitted that despite repeated directions of the Court, the Chief Secretary, the Commissioner/Secretary to the Government, Youth Services and Sports, the Badminton Association of India, and the J&K Badminton Association had failed to file their replies. He pointed out that the Division Bench had, on November 10, 2025, clearly directed that failure to file responses would result in forfeiture of the right to do so, yet the order was being taken casually.Drawing the Court's attention to the prevailing state of affairs, counsel for the petitioners submitted that several sports associations in J&K were being run by individuals who had crossed the prescribed age limits, while others included politicians and serving government officers who had not obtained mandatory No Objection Certificates. According to the petitioners, such practices have led to monopolisation of sports bodies for personal gain, defeating the very object of the Sports Code.After hearing the submissions, the Division Bench recorded its dissatisfaction with the conduct of the respondents and observed that, “Despite repeated opportunities, respondent Nos. 1, 2, 4 and 5 have failed to submit response.” The Court noted the apparent lack of seriousness on the part of the authorities in a matter involving significant public interest and governance of sports institutions.At this stage, Deputy Advocate General Dewakar Sharma appeared on behalf of the Commissioner/Secretary, Youth Services and Sports, and sought a short adjournment to file the response. Advocate Ajay Sharma, appearing for the J&K Badminton Association, and Advocate Amjad Maqbool, appearing virtually for the Badminton Association of India, also requested time to place their replies on record.While expressing its displeasure, the Division Bench reluctantly granted what it termed as a last opportunity to the respondents to file their responses by the next date of hearing, making it clear that failure to do so would invite appropriate orders.The bench directed the Registry to re-notify the matter on December 30, 2025 for further review. Case Title: Bakhtawar Singh & Ors Vs UT Of J&K Click Here To Read/Download Order

J&K&L High Court Questions Govt, Sports Bodies Over Failure To Respond To PIL Alleging Sports Code Violations; Grants 'Last Opportunity'

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