NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday came down heavily on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking to restrain the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) from referring to its players as the “Indian cricket team”, dismissing the plea as a “sheer wastage” of judicial time.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!A Division Bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela rebuked the petitioner, advocate Reepak Kansal, who argued that since the BCCI is a private body and not a government-recognised sports federation, it has no authority to call its side “Team India.”The court was quick to reject this line of reasoning.
“Are you saying the team doesn’t represent India? This team, which is going everywhere and representing India, you are saying they don’t represent India? Is it not Team India? If it is not Team India, please tell us why is it not Team India,” Justice Gedela questioned sharply.
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Chief Justice Upadhyaya was equally firm, calling the petition a frivolous use of court time.“It is sheer wastage of the court’s time and your own time. Tell us about a national team in any sport that is selected by government officials. Whether it’s the Commonwealth Games, Olympics, hockey, football, or tennis — are they not representing India?”Kansal’s PIL claimed that the BCCI, registered under the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act, is not a statutory body or a “State” under Article 12 of the Constitution. It further alleged that referring to the team as “India” or using the national flag violated the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950 and the Flag Code of India, 2002.However, the Bench dismissed these claims, observing that using the flag or national name for representation in sports does not amount to misuse.“If you want to unfurl a flag in your house, are you prohibited from doing so?” the court remarked.The judges also noted that international sports bodies like the International Olympic Committee (IOC) discourage government interference in sports administration.Ultimately, the court dismissed the PIL, reaffirming that India’s cricket team — regardless of BCCI’s private status — represents the nation in every sense.
