By IANS
New Delhi : India’s No 2 woman squash player Dipika Pallikal, who has not been selected for the upcoming Asian Championship in Kuwait, Tuesday did not get any reprieve from the Delhi High Court, which refused to quash the team selection.
Justice Gita Mittal declined the plea of Pallikal’s counsel that the selected team, which comprises low-ranked players, not be allowed to play the championship, which begins Wednesday.
“At this point, we cannot pass such an order. First the response to the notice, filed by the federation justifying the omission, should be brought on record,” the court said.
The bench Feb 8 sought to know from the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and the Squash Racquet Federation of India (SRFI) why the 16-year-old Pallikal was not selected for the Feb 13-21 championship.
Senior advocate Arun Jaitley, appearing for the federation, said: “Nobody is against her. She would have been selected if the medical team of the federation had declared her fit.”
Pallikal arrived late at the camp in Chennai and failed to produce any fitness certificate, Jaitley said, adding that it was an international tournament and unfit players could not be allowed to represent the country.
“She is a top player. But, it does not mean that she will not comply with the norms of the federation,” he said.
Countering the contention, Pallikal’s counsel Roma Bhagat said she had sent an e-mail to the SRFI requesting exemption from the camp on the ground that she had sustained a back injury while training with her Egyptian coach.
It was alleged that Pallikal, who is ranked 62nd by Women’s International Squash Professional Association (WISPA), was overlooked and lower-ranked players like Surbhi Mishra (156th), Anwesha Reddy (124th) and unranked Hari Omprakash were picked.
The court then asked Pallikal to reply to the contentions of the federation, justifying her omission from the national team. It fixed the next hearing for Feb 20.