In a significant order affecting the selection of India’s equestrian team for the 3rd Asian Youth Games, Bahrain 2025, the Delhi High Court directed the Equestrian Federation of India (EFI) to conduct fresh selection trials or apply the rider-point method for the remaining four slots, while permitting the names of four already-selected riders to remain unaffected.
The petition, filed by a rider challenged the EFI’s impugned selection list dated August 31, 2025, which finalized four riders for the Bahrain event without holding mandatory selection trials. The petitioner contended that the selection process violated Article 211 of the EFI Technical Guidelines, 2024 (Version 2), which mandates trials for events such as the Asian Championships, Asian Games, Olympic Games, and World Equestrian Championships. Dhaliwal argued that the EFI’s reliance on an alternative rider-point system deprived eligible athletes of a fair opportunity to compete for team spots.
During the hearing, Senior Advocates Siddharth Luthra and Pawanjit Singh Bindra, appearing for the petitioner, highlighted that the EFI had failed to implement directions issued in the Court’s earlier order dated September 9, 2025, which required the EFI, in coordination with the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), to find the “best plausible solution” to the dispute. Despite a request by the IOA to extend the September 15, 2025 deadline for final submission of names to the Bahrain Games’ Organizing Committee, the extension was refused, creating a pressing time constraint.
Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, while recognizing the urgency and the international importance of the Bahrain Games, observed that while it was too late to interfere with the list of four riders already submitted, fairness demanded that the remaining slots be filled strictly in accordance with the EFI’s 2024 Guidelines. The Court directed the EFI to immediately invite applications from all eligible athletes and to conduct selection trials if time permits, or else evaluate candidates under the rider-point method prescribed by Article 210, ensuring transparency and merit-based selection.
The Court granted eligible athletes 24 hours to furnish the requisite documents to the EFI and instructed the federation to finalize the selection list and forward it to the Organizing Committee by September 15, 2025. The existing list of four selected riders, including one of the respondents, was explicitly left undisturbed to avoid disruption of India’s confirmed entries.
The matter has been scheduled for further hearing on January 30, 2026, by which time the EFI is expected to file a counter-affidavit detailing the implementation of the Court’s directions and the outcome of the fresh selection process.
Appearances:
Petitioner: Mr. Siddharth Luthra, Sr. Adv., Mr. Pawanjit Singh Bindra, Sr. Adv., Mr. Keshav Singhal, Mr. Shivam Gaur, Mr. Aryan Kumar, Ms. Rashi Singh and Ms. Nandita Sharma, Advs.
Respondent: Mr. Siddharth Nath, Mr. Asjad Hussain and Mr. Anunay Chowdhary, Advs. for R-1.
Mr. Pragyan Pradip Sharma, Sr. Adv., Mr. Vinajay Bhandari, Mr. Ishaan Phukan, Ms. Teesha Mishra, Mr. Hardik Jain and Mr. Rustam Chaudhuri, Advs. for EC of EFI.
Mr. Vikash Singh and Mr. Ujjwal Chaudhary, Advs. for R-3.
Mr. Ishan Roy Chowdhury and Mr. Samar Bansal, Advs. for R-4 / observer.
Mr. Udit Dedhiya, SPC and Ms. Apurva Sachdev, Adv. for UOI.
Mr. Sandeep Sethi, Sr. Adv., Mr. Harkirat Singh and Ms. Shreya Mishra, Advs. for R-7.
