Consider hearing-impaired sportspersons for Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award: HC to Centre

The Delhi High Court has directed the Centre to border acceptable standards for conferring the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, 2025 on listening to impaired sportspersons, noting that the prevailing standards discriminates in opposition to them vis-a-vis para sportspersons.

The court docket, within the order handed on Monday (November 3, 2025), mentioned the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 leaves no scope of discrimination between individuals having listening to impairment vis-a-vis these having bodily or locomotor incapacity.

It added, within the context of the ‘Scheme of Cash Awards for Medal Winners’ in worldwide sports activities occasions, lack of alternative for deaf sportspersons has the influence of making a discriminatory regime.

Justice Sachin Datta mentioned the factors be framed expeditiously to allow the deaf sportspersons to submit functions for the aim of award, and directed that the deadline, which was October 28, for submission of functions be prolonged suitably.

The court docket was listening to a plea by Mr. Virender Singh, internationally famend listening to impaired wrestler, multi-time Deaflympics gold medallist and an Arjuna Awardee, together with one other deaf sportsperson.

Mr. Singh, represented by advocate Ajay Verma, challenged exclusion of deaf athletes from key authorities sports activities schemes and alleged discriminatory remedy vis-a-vis para-athletes and sought parity between deaf and para-athletes.

His plea said that whereas framing the factors for conferring the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award 2025, no dispensation is created for listening to impaired sportspersons.

After going by way of the factors, the court docket noticed that there isn’t a scope for listening to impaired sportspersons to even apply or be thought of for conferment of the award, making it discriminatory in opposition to deaf sportspersons vis-a-vis para sportspersons.

“In the above conspectus, there may be benefit within the contentions of the petitioner/applicant that the aforesaid standards discriminate in opposition to deaf sportspersons vis-a-vis para sportspersons,” it mentioned.