New Delhi, Nov 28 (Agency) The Supreme Court on Thursday lashed out at the Himachal Pradesh Government for denying appointment to Asian Games gold medallist Pooja Thakur under the sports quota. A bench comprising Justice Abhay S Oka and Justice Augustine George Masih told the Counsel of Himachal Government, “Your Chief Minister should have adopted a pragmatic approach and given the job to the young sportsperson’. She won a gold medal in Asian Games in November 2014. ‘Is this your way of encouraging sportspersons’?, the court asked.
The bench was hearing the plea of Kabbadi player Pooja Thakur regarding her job. The Court refused to interfere with the 2023 High Court order which upheld a single judge’s order directing Thakur’s appointment to the post of Excise and Taxation Officer effective from the date of her application to the Chief Minister in July 2015. “You make this person run from pillar to post for 7 years. This is the approach of the state while dealing with the sportspersons!” Justice Oka asked. The Apex Court while dismissing the State’s appeal directed it to give job to the distinguished sportsperson. ‘Considering the factual aspects, we find that this is not a fit case to interfere under Article 136 of the Constitution,” the Top Court Court said.