The Delhi High Court Division Bench on Thursday dismissed an intra-court appeal challenging a Single Judge’s order concerning the selection of India’s show-jumping rider for the 2026 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Dakar, Senegal. The matter was heard by the Division Bench comprising Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia.

The dispute arose from the selection process conducted by the Equestrian Federation of India (EFI). The appellant, Vaasvi Khaitan, a 16-year-old international show-jumping athlete, had sought selection for the YOG. She had obtained eight qualifying scores between December 2025 and May 2026 and two further qualifying scores in July 2026.

The original selection was concluded on August 6, 2026, with Sresht Raju Mantena selected to represent India, while Khaitan was placed as the reserve rider. Following a review, EFI retained Mantena at rank one, while Khaitan was placed at rank three and recommended as reserve rider two.

Khaitan challenged the revised selection, contending that EFI had retrospectively treated May 8, 2026 to July 25, 2026 as the relevant selection window, thereby excluding seven of her earlier qualifying scores. She argued that the selection criteria did not prescribe May 8 as the commencement date.

The Single Judge bench of Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma rejected the challenge, holding that the record did not establish the existence of an eight-month selection window beginning November 8, 2025. The Court noted that the selection criteria were first uploaded on EFI’s website on May 8, 2026, and that athletes were subsequently required to submit their latest results by July 25, 2026.

The Court also considered minutes dated May 13, 2026 which recorded Khaitan’s selection at that stage. However, it noted that the subsequent process involved all seven eligible riders, with final selection based on recent performances, consistency, competitiveness and overall merit. At the same time, the Single Judge observed that uncertainty in a selection process involving athletes representing the country ought to be avoided. The Court noted that the manner in which the selection process had evolved, particularly in light of the May 13, 2026 minutes of the earlier Selection Committee, had created uncertainty for the athletes.

The Court accordingly suggested that the Equestrian Federation of India (EFI) should clearly prescribe the selection window and timelines for each stage of the process, including the date from which performances would be considered, the cut-off date for submission of results and the proposed date for final selection.