After Manika Batra, Olympian Anush Agarwalla raises questions over Asian Games selection

New Delhi, Jun 19: Olympian dressage rider Anush Agarwalla on Friday petitioned the Delhi High Court, seeking a stay on the implementation of the selection of the Indian team for the upcoming Asian Games in Japan, after he was omitted from the squad.

Agarwalla sought urgent judicial intervention against what he called "arbitrary and illegal actions" of the Ad-Hoc Committee for Governance of Equestrian Federation of India (EFI).

He was excluded from the Indian Dressage squad for the Asian Games named recently by the EFI. Shruti Vora (Magnanimous), Gaurav Pundir (Milli), Jai Sud (Goofy La Perla) and Hriday Chheda (Dono Di Maggio) were named in the team.

Agarwala, the lone dressage representative for India at the Paris Olympics and a member of the gold medal-winning team at the Hangzhou Asian Games, was named a reserve member.

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The main reliefs he sought from the Delhi HC include quashing of the selection list dated June 16, 2026; grant of stay on the operation and implementation of the impugned selection list; reconstitution of the selection committee in a free and transparent manner, and strict implementation of the selection criteria.

The writ petition was filed after he and the EFI ad-hoc panel were embroiled in a fresh war of words over the selection process. The panel accused him of making "inaccurate" and "misleading" claims while the rider demanded evidence to back the allegations.

The exchange took place through a series of emails on Thursday, a day after Agarwalla sought details of the process that led to the selection of India's dressage team for the continental showpiece.

In a communication sent by EFI Assistant Secretary Nafe Singh Kadian, the federation said several statements made by Agarwalla regarding a meeting held on June 18 were "inaccurate, misleading and are denied and disputed".

The ad-hoc panel said Agarwalla had been afforded a personal meeting with selection committee member Col. Sandeep Dewan despite no such hearing being envisaged under the selection criteria.

The federation said the rider was heard at length in the presence of Kadian and was invited to place all submissions and material in support of his contentions.

According to EFI, all representations made by Agarwalla, including an email sent on June 17 and a document titled "Summary of Asian Games 2026 Qualifications" shared on June 14, had been considered before finalisation of the order of merit and the team.

"The Order of Merit and selection of the final team have been determined strictly in accordance with the applicable Dressage Selection Criteria Version 4.0 and the subsequent prevailing amendments," EFI panel said, adding that no grounds had been found for review or modification of the recommendations made on June 15.

Agarwalla, in his response later on Thursday, rejected EFI's allegation that he had made false or misleading statements and asked the federation to identify the specific portions of his communication that it considered inaccurate.

"Such allegations are wholly unfounded and appear to be an attempt to deflect attention from the substantive issues repeatedly raised by me and consistently left unanswered," Agarwalla wrote.

The rider also questioned EFI's account of the June 18 meeting, saying it omitted the presence of Naomi Julia Dewan, daughter of Sandeep Dewan, a member of the EFI Dressage selection committee.

He sought clarification on the capacity in which she attended the meeting and why her presence was not disclosed in EFI's response.

"Why her presence was considered necessary in what was ostensibly a personal hearing," he wrote.

Agarwalla further maintained that despite travelling from Germany for the meeting, he was not provided details regarding the calculations used to prepare the order of merit, the methodology applied for team selection, the identity of the body that took the final decision, and the reasons for his exclusion from the squad.

He also accused EFI of taking contradictory positions by asserting that no personal hearing was contemplated under the selection criteria while simultaneously citing the meeting as evidence of compliance with principles of natural justice.

The rider called upon EFI to specify the allegedly false statements in his communication and disclose the calculations, methodology and basis on which the order of merit and final team were prepared.

The EFI has been functioning under an ad-hoc committee appointed by the Indian Olympic Association after governance-related disputes and administrative issues within the national federation.

The committee was appointed on March 27 following a Delhi High Court directive that called for restoration of democratic governance in the federation after the tenure of the previous executive committee expired in 2023.

The four-member panel, headed by Yashodhara Raje Scindia, was tasked with administering the federation, reforming its constitution and conducting fresh elections.

The IOA removed member (Administration) Col. Ashok Yadav from the panel, citing complaints regarding his conduct and functioning.

Yadav, in turn, alleged that he was sidelined for opposing what he described as attempts to favour certain riders and bypass established selection rules, exposing divisions within the ad-hoc body.

This comes after table tennis star Manika Batra raised similar concerns over the selection of Asian Games team.