sports law — Indian case law & digests

High CourtHigh Court of Delhi

Akshay Mahara v. Union of India (2026): athletes cannot be made to suffer for a sport's governance vacuum

The Delhi High Court held that the absence of a recognised National Sports Federation for karate cannot deprive athletes of international opportunities, and directed the authorities to evolve an interim selection-and-entry mechanism until a recognised NSF is constituted.

Valkya Editorial·22 Jun 2026·6 min

Supreme CourtSupreme Court of India

BCCI v. Cricket Association of Bihar (2016): the Lodha reforms and the writ jurisdiction over the Board

In 2016 a three-judge Bench of the Supreme Court accepted the Justice R.M. Lodha Committee's recommendations and directed the BCCI to implement sweeping structural reforms. A digest of the two-judgment litigation born of the 2013 IPL betting scandal, the holding that the Board performs public functions amenable to Article 226, and how several reforms were later relaxed.

Valkya Editorial·19 Jun 2026·9 min