Amaravati: The Andhra Pradesh High Court has ruled that veteran archer Vennam Jyoti Surekha was unfairly excluded from the selection process for the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, despite having more points than some selected nominees. The court directed the Union Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs to reconsider her for the 2023 and 2024 Khel Ratna awards, without requiring a fresh application.
The verdict, delivered by Justice Nimmagadda Venkateshwarlu, emphasized that selection guidelines must be strictly followed without discretionary power being misused. The court clarified that it was inappropriate to cancel the 2023 selections at this stage, but Surekha’s name must be evaluated alongside the selected athletes.
Surekha, an internationally acclaimed archer from Andhra Pradesh, had filed a petition in January 2023, challenging her exclusion from the Khel Ratna awards. Her legal team, senior advocates Unnam Muralidhara Rao and Unnam Akhil Chaudhary, presented her achievements and points before the court.
The ruling noted that Surekha had scored 148.74 points, higher than other applicants, yet was overlooked without justification. The court reaffirmed that selection processes must align with the National Sports Code to ensure fairness in recognizing sporting excellence.
