NEW DELHI — In a major legal intervention for transparency and athlete rights, Sports Lawyer Prasang Raheja and Corporate Lawyer Kosturi Ghosh have jointly launched dual legal proceedings against the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) and the Sports Authority of India (SAI). The attorneys have filed a high-priority Right to Information (RTI) application alongside an official public grievance petition on the CPGRAMS portal, formally challenging the selection methodology applied to the Indian Tennis Contingent for the upcoming Asian Games.
The legal action targets the promulgation of the “Asian Top 6” ranking cutoff relied upon by selection authorities, which appears to be the criteria only promulgated by India in all of Asia. Further, the rigid application of the policy threatens to leave India completely unrepresented in major draws and systematically excludes top-performing national singles talents who, despite no real assistance from the government, are producing noteworthy results against strong competitors, including those from Asia.
Lead Attorneys Spearheading the Action
- Prasang Raheja — Sports Lawyer
- Kosturi Ghosh — Corporate Lawyer
Key Grounds of the Legal Challenge
Arbitrary Exclusion of Form-Proven Athletes
The filing documents the unjust omission of India’s most active and successful international match-winners:
- Sahaja Yamalapalli (WTA #342) — 4 ITF singles titles and proven Billie Jean King (BJK) Cup anchor.
- Vaishnavi Adkar (WTA #388) — Historic W100 finalist (Bengaluru, 2026) with recent victories over WTA Top-150 players.
- Vaidehi Chaudhari (WTA #413) — BJK Cup standout with career victories over Chinese Taipei and Hong Kong.
- Manas Dhamne (ATP #384, Age 18) — Shymkent Challenger II finalist and India’s premier youth prospect training at a premier academy in Europe.
Misapplication of Standardized Metrics & Failure of Relaxation Clause
The lawyers argue that professional tennis — governed by weekly dynamic global rankings and surface dynamics — cannot be evaluated through rigid metric cutoffs. The petition demands the immediate invocation of the Ministry’s official Relaxation Clause to protect medal potential.
Regional Disparity & Medal Precedents
Neighboring Asian federations, including Nepal, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines, field full squad depth to ensure complete event participation. Historical precedents conclusively demonstrate that ranking cutoffs do not dictate outcomes: Prajnesh Gunneswaran (World No. 161) and Ankita Raina (World No. 187) both captured Bronze medals at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games despite being ranked outside top benchmarks.
The 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou reinforce the same pattern. Of the 20 tennis medals awarded, 8 — a full 40 percent — were won by players seeded outside the top 8, underscoring that seeding position at the time of the draw is a poor predictor of medal outcomes. Among them was Rutuja Bhosale, who won gold in Mixed Doubles despite entering outside the top seeds, a result the petitioners cite as direct evidence that rigid ranking cutoffs risk excluding athletes capable of medaling on merit.
Statutory RTI & CPGRAMS Remedies Sought
Through their joint filings, Raheja and Ghosh have requisitioned complete certified copies of selection file notings, committee minutes, assessment sheets, and official records establishing the legal basis and application of the “Asian Top 6” rule. Given the imminent commencement of the Games, the attorneys have demanded high-priority, time-sensitive processing to prevent irreparable prejudice to the athletes and preserve India’s representation on the international stage.