Why won’t govt let me play here? NRI cricketer to court

An Australian cricketer of Indian origin has challenged the Centre’s ban on NRIs representing the country in international sport events. Amit Kumar Sarna took his case to the Delhi high court, which asked the Centre to respond. In December 2008, the Centre had officially barred NRIs and persons with overseas citizenship of India from representing the country in international sport events. A single-judge bench of justice S Muralidhar asked the government to reply by February 17 to Sarna’s lawsuit challenging the notification. Notices were issued to the ministries of sports and overseas affairs.Sarna, who claimed to have played for Australia’s under-19 cricket team, said although he had played for Australia, he was now keen to play for India. Sarna was born in Delhi in 1988 but his parents moved to Australia and he accepted citizenship of that country in 1993. The ministry’s decision to bar NRIs from playing was “arbitrary”, he said. “The ministry did not consult other central ministries before taking the decision,” Sarna said.