HC seeks Centre`s reply on plea for Hockey try-outs guidelines

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has sought a response from the Centre on a plea seeking framing of guidelines to conduct fair and transparent trials for selecting players for the Indian hockey team.

Justice Manmohan also issued notices to Hockey India and Hockey Delhi seeking their responses by the next date of hearing scheduled in the second week of July. The order came on the petition by some youths, who have played the sport at school and junior level, alleging they were not given the chance to try out for the Delhi team for the 4th Hockey India Senior Men National Championship, Division B. The 4th edition of the Hockey India Senior Men National Championship 2014 will be played in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, from February 27 to March 23, 2014. Though in the petition, they had sought re-trials for the Delhi team, as the team had already left for the championship, the court refused to interfere with the selection. "Even here I won`t be able to do anything. We are not interfering", Justice Manmohan said. Thereafter, the petitioners` counsel, N K Chahar, sought that guidelines be framed for fair and transparent mode of selection of players into the national and state-level hockey teams. In the light of the modified plea by the petitioners, the court issued a notice to the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Hockey India, Hockey Delhi and Sports Authority of India. The court, however, deleted Indian Olympic Association and Delhi Olympic Association from the list of parties.