Anush Agarwalla moves Delhi HC against exclusion from Asian Games squad

NEW DELHI: India’s No. 1 dressage rider Anush Agarwalla on Friday moved the Delhi High Court challenging his exclusion from the country’s equestrian squad for the upcoming Asian Games, alleging arbitrariness and lack of transparency in the selection process.Agarwalla, also Asia’s No.2 and World No. 14-ranked rider, has filed an urgent writ petition seeking judicial intervention against the actions of the ad-hoc committee governing the Equestrian Federation of India (EFI), which is currently administered by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA). The petition names the ad-hoc panel, its selection committee, the IOA and the Union of India through the ministry of youth affairs and sports (MYAS) as respondents.

The challenge comes after the ad-hoc body announced the dressage team comprising Shruti Vora, Gaurav Pundir, Jai Sud and Hriday Chheda, while leaving out Agarwalla, India’s sole dressage representative at the Paris Olympics and a member of the gold medal-winning team at the Hangzhou Asian Games. He was instead named a reserve rider along with Sudipti Hajela.Agarwalla alleged he was denied access to merit calculations and was not informed whether the final decision was taken by the ad-hoc panel or selection committee.

He has sought quashing of the June 16 selection list, reconstitution of the selection panel, strict adherence to selection criteria and a stay on the impugned list. The court has listed the matter for admission hearing on June 22.Agarwalla also wrote a lengthy post on social media, raising pertinent questions about the criteria being applied in athlete selection and urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi and union sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya of urgent intervention. “Today, I stand as India's No.1 ranked dressage rider, Asia’s No.2 ranked rider and World No.14 in the FEI rankings. I have also achieved the highest PSG scores among all Indian athletes this year. That is why being named as a reserve for the upcoming Asian Games comes as a surprise and raises important questions about the criteria being applied in athlete selection,” he stated.“Over the past few years, I have had the privilege of achieving several milestones for Indian equestrian sport.

I was part of India's historic Asian Games team gold medal-winning campaign and won an individual bronze medal, becoming the first Indian to win an individual dressage medal at the Asian Games. I also became the first Indian dressage rider to qualify for and compete at the Paris Olympics. While I respect the selection process and the athletes chosen to represent India, I believe every athlete deserves clarity on how such decisions are made, particularly when current rankings, international performances and proven results appear to suggest otherwise.“That while my legal team and I explore legal remedies to make the system transparent and accountable not just for me but for all the athletes representing India to the best of their abilities, I respectfully request Prime Minister Narendrra Modi, sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya, the Sports Authority of India and concerned authorities to kindly review this decision and ensure that merit, transparency and sporting excellence remain at the heart of athlete selection,” he added.

The petition contends that the arbitrary exclusion of an athlete of such proven merit, experience, and international standing from the Asian Games raises issues of fairness, transparency, and adherence to established selection norms, warranting urgent judicial scrutiny. The EFI has been functioning under an ad-hoc committee appointed by the IOA after governance-related disputes and administrative issues within the national federation.