HC asks state to look into claims of Kabaddi World Cup players

Saurabh Malik

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 10

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has set a six-week deadline for the Punjab Government to look into the claims of 10 kabaddi players from Punjab who are aggrieved as they were allegedly denied prize money due to the shortage of funds. “In case prize money and awards are found to be due, appropriate steps should be taken forthwith,” Justice Rajan Gupta of the High Court ruled.

The Kabaddi World Cup was the brainchild of former Deputy Chief Minister and SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal. The event was discontinued in 2017 after the Congress came to power in the state.

The developments before Justice Gupta’s Bench took place on a petition against the State of Punjab and other respondents by Lovepreet Singh and other petitioners through counsel Kamal Deep Singh Sidhu. Appearing before the Bench, he had stated that the Sports Director-cum-Secretary, Punjab State Sports Council, admitted that the petitioners deserved the prize money but the same had not been disbursed as funds were not available. Sidhu said the admission came in response to their legal notice dated November 13, 2017.

He added that the petitioners were not paid the prize money and other incentives offered to them by the respondents for the 6th World Cup competition held in 2016.

Taking up the matter, Justice Gupta observed that the petitioners had preferred the petition for issuance of directions to the respondents to pay cash and other awards to players, officials and teams which participated in the 6th Kabaddi World Cup, 2016, organised by the then state government from November 3, 2017, to November 17, 2017.

Justice Gupta disposed of the petition with direction to the state to look into the matter before taking appropriate decision at the earliest, not later than six weeks.