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Delhi High Court stays wrestling coach Vinod Kumar's claim for Dronacharya Award

A division bench headed by Chief Justice G Rohini ordered further hearing of the matter saying that "there are various disputed questions of facts which need to be dealt with by the single judge bench".

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Former India's chief wrestling coach Vinod Kumar, who was to be considered for the Dronacharya Award following a Delhi High Court order on Friday, will have to wait longer for this award as a larger bench on Saturday gave six weeks' time to sports ministry to explain "disputed questions" on the issue.

A division bench headed by Chief Justice G Rohini ordered further hearing of the matter saying that "there are various disputed questions of facts which need to be dealt with by the single judge bench".

This has come as a big relief for the ministry on a day when President Pranab Mukherjee presented the National Sports Awards for 2014-15 at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here.

"In the light of the material available on record, it appears to us that the matter involves various disputed questions of facts and require consideration after giving an opportunity of being heard to all the parties," the bench, also comprising Justice Jayant Nath, said on Saturday.

Sports ministry immediately decided to go ahead with the function to confer the Dronacharya award on the other wrestling coach Anoop Singh Dahiya along with the four other coaches from other disciplines.

The court, however, made it clear that the conferment of the award to Kumar would be subject to the outcome of the pending litigation.

The two-member bench observed that "the single judge is required to dispose of the matter expeditiously, preferably within six weeks from today without having regard to any of the observations/finding recorded in the order under appeal".

The court's direction came on the plea filed by the Ministry of Youth Affairs seeking an urgent hearing as the award ceremony was scheduled for Saturday.

Kumar, who was the chief national men's team coach from November 2010 to April 2015, had claimed that he had earned more points for his achievements of his wards at international tournaments than Dahiya.

However, the main reason that ministry presented before the Court was that of his sacking by WFI in May this year after his performance as mentor was found to be inadequate during the Doha Asian Championship in April.

"But how has my sacking in May this year got any anything to do with my work in the last three years – from the period of 2012 to 2015?," Kumar asked. Both Kumar and Dahiya have both claimed points for mentoring women wrestler Geetika Jakhar.

Kumar was the chief coach of national men's team from November 2010 to April 2015 and has argued before single judge that he had earned more points for his achievements of his wards at international tournaments than Dahiya.

That was the reason that Dahiya's score was reduced from 377.5 to 337.5 by the single judge of Delhi HC.
 

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