JAMMU, Jul 20: Sunil Sethi, Chief Spokesperson, BJP, Jammu & Kashmir and Girdhari Lal Raina, Former MLC & Spokesperson, BJP, Jammu & Kashmir issued a joint press statement regarding the J&K government’s selection list for appointment of Outstanding Sportspersons.
The BJP spokespersons said that the Jammu Kashmir Government’s selection list dated 10 June 2026 for appointment of Outstanding Sportspersons under S.O. 12 of 2022 has triggered unprecedented outrage across the sporting fraternity. The widespread protests by eminent athletes, sports associations and civil society are not the result of disappointment alone; they reflect a serious crisis of confidence in the fairness, transparency and integrity of the recruitment process.
The most disturbing feature of the selection is that four of the five gazetted posts have gone to athletes from a Category-B non-Olympic discipline, while several accomplished athletes from internationally recognised Olympic disciplines have either been denied gazetted appointments or pushed to lower categories. Such an outcome is extraordinary and deserves the closest public scrutiny.
The official defence that the selections merely reflect a statutory points-based system raises more questions than it answers. A statutory framework cannot become a shield against scrutiny if there are credible allegations that the framework itself was designed or subsequently modified in a manner that disproportionately benefited a particular discipline.
Serious questions have been raised regarding subsequent amendments to the rules, the weightage assigned to various competitions and the inclusion of events which allegedly enabled extraordinarily high point accumulation for athletes of selected disciplines. These issues cannot be brushed aside through routine administrative explanations.
Equally serious are allegations of conflict of interest. It has been publicly alleged that certain officials exercising influence over sports administration simultaneously held positions in recognised sports associations connected with the disciplines that ultimately secured a disproportionate share of the highest appointments. Even the appearance of such a conflict undermines public confidence and warrants an independent investigation.
Under Rule 2(2) of S.O. 12 of 2022, the High-Powered Selection Committee functions as an institutional body constituted by official positions. However, institutional responsibility does not dilute ministerial accountability. The final recruitment list was approved by the Government before being made public. The Hon’ble Minister for Youth Services and Sports cannot evade responsibility for ensuring that the entire process was transparent, impartial and beyond suspicion.
This issue transcends the interests of any individual athlete or any particular sporting discipline. It concerns the credibility of public employment, the future of thousands of young sportspersons and the integrity of sports administration in Jammu & Kashmir. If deserving athletes lose faith in the system, the damage will extend far beyond a single recruitment exercise.
The Bharatiya Janata Party therefore demands a time-bound independent and in-depth investigation into the working of the Sports Council and entire recruitment process under S.O. 12 of 2022, examination of all amendments to the Rules and the methodology adopted for awarding point, investigation into every allegation of actual or perceived conflict of interest involving officials connected with the recruitment process, . identification and fixing of responsibility wherever abuse of authority, procedural irregularity or manipulation is established, and a transparent, merit-based sports recruitment policy that protects the interests of athletes across all recognised disciplines while ensuring that public employment remains beyond suspicion.
The Government owes answers to every athlete who has devoted years of hard work in the service of sport. Administrative denials are no substitute for an independent inquiry. The only way to restore confidence is through complete transparency, impartial investigation and accountability. Nothing less will satisfy the legitimate expectations of the sporting community of Jammu & Kashmir.