The Supreme Court on Thursday deferred the hearing in the plea filed by equestrians Anush Agarwalla and Sudipti Hajela after Justice KV Viswanathan recused himself from the case. The petition challenges the selection of India’s dressage team for the 2026 Asian Games.
The matter was originally listed before a Division Bench comprising Justice KV Viswanathan and Justice Alok Aradhe.
Justice KV Viswanathan steps away from the case
When the matter came up for hearing on July 9, Justice Viswanathan informed the court that he would not be hearing the case. Following his recusal, the petition was directed to be placed before another Bench.
Senior advocate Maninder Singh then urged the Bench led by Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah to list the matter urgently. He submitted that India has to send its final squad for the Asian Games by July 15, making an early hearing essential.
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Taking note of the request, Justice Amanullah allowed the plea for urgent listing and directed that the matter be placed before the court on Friday, July 10. The case is now expected to be heard on Friday.
Why have Anush Agarwalla and Sudipti Hajela approached the Supreme Court?
The dispute stems from the Equestrian Federation of India (EFI) ad hoc committee’s announcement of the probable Indian dressage squad for the 2026 Asian Games on June 16.
Despite being one of India’s medal-winning riders at the 2022 Asian Games, Anush Agarwalla was not included in the main squad. Sudipti Hajela was also left out of the final team. Both riders were named in the reserve list.
Claiming irregularities in the team selection process, the two equestrians first moved the Delhi High Court before approaching the Supreme Court.
What happened in the Delhi High Court?
The matter was heard first by a Single Bench and later by a Division Bench of the Delhi High Court. On both occasions, the High Court upheld the team selected by the Equestrian Federation of India and declined to interfere with the selection process.
The Division Bench observed that conducting a fresh selection event before the July 15 deadline would be nearly impossible because the riders and their horses are currently based in different parts of the world.
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“Having regard to the deadline of 15.07.2026, it is logistically impracticable to conduct a further competition within the time available, particularly since the riders and horses are located at different places across the globe and transporting horses from different locations to a common venue for conducting a competition amongst all six (6) Probables would not be possible in such a short span of time,” the court observed.
Challenging that decision, Anush Agarwalla and Sudipti Hajela have now moved the Supreme Court, where the matter is scheduled to come up for hearing on July 10.
FAQs:
Why did the Supreme Court postpone the hearing on Anush Agarwalla’s plea?
The hearing was rescheduled after Justice KV Viswanathan recused himself, and the case has now been listed for July 10 before a new Bench.
Why has Anush Agarwalla challenged the Asian Games dressage team selection?
Anush Agarwalla and Sudipti Hajela have alleged irregularities in the selection process after being placed in the reserve squad instead of the main team.