Court quashes Hockey India’s nine-month ban on Gurbaj
Men’s tennis has not been short of astonishing feats in recent years but Novak Djokovic is eclipsing even the great Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal as his record-breaking season reaches a crescendo.
The world number one, who got married and became a father last year, says his current season is better than 2011, when he also grabbed three Grand Slams. Record points and prize money and three of the four Grand Slams mark one of tennis’s best ever seasons.
In 2005, Roger Federer lost only four times, achieving one of the best winning percentages. John McEnroe had only three defeats in 1984 as he compiled the best winning percentage in the Open era of 0.965. Ten years earlier, Jimmy Connors went 93-4.
Now Djokovic has become only the third man, after Federer and Rod
Laver, to reach all four Grand CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday quashed Hockey India’s order banning hockey player Gurbaj Singh for nine months for alleged misbehaviour.
The matter has been referred to the HI’s athletes’ grievances redressal committee, which will look into the matter afresh.
The single-judge Bench of Justice RK Jain heard the petition filed by the player challenging the August order of HI.
The Bench held that respondents could not act arbitrarily in imposing punishment and travel beyond the code of conduct (of sports bodies), as these are provided to keep a check on the arbitrariness on the part of such committees while imposing punishment.
“It is a salutary principal of criminal jurisprudence that the punishment imposed should be commensurate with the offence committed,” the Bench held.
“These incidents, even if are taken to be true, though refuted by the petitioner, cannot be brought within the ambit of serious misconduct in order to attract the punishment of a ban of nine months,” the Bench said in its order.
The High Court has now directed HI’s athletes’ grievances redressal committee to convene a meeting within one week of getting the order and take a decision on penalty, if any, “which shall also commensurate with the charges levelled against him”. It has also been told that Gurbaj be communicated the order within two days of the meeting.