JAMMU, Jan 2: In a significant development linked to a long-pending Public Interest Litigation seeking enforcement of the National Sports Development Code of India, 2011, the Badminton Association of Jammu and Kashmir has informed the High Court of J&K and Ladakh that its top office bearers have stepped down after crossing the prescribed age limit.
The Association submitted before a Division Bench of the High Court that its President, Chander Prakash Sharma, a former Minister and sitting MLA from Vijaypur, along with General Secretary B S Jamwal, voluntarily tendered their resignations. The resignations were placed before and accepted by the Executive Committee of the Association in its meeting held on November 9, 2025, in view of their ineligibility under the Sports Code provisions.
The disclosure came in response to a PIL filed by three former state-level badminton players from Jammu, Bakhtawar Singh, Romesh Kumar Sharma and Rishi Khurana. The petition seeks strict implementation of the National Sports Code and the guidelines issued by the J&K Sports Council across all sports associations in the Union Territory.
Earlier, on December 15, 2025, the Division Bench comprising the Chief Justice and another judge had expressed strong displeasure over the failure of the concerned authorities, including the Youth Services and Sports Department, Badminton Association of India and Badminton Association of J&K, to file their responses. The court had granted a final opportunity, warning that appropriate orders would follow in case of continued non-compliance.
In their petition, the former players have alleged that several sports associations in J&K are being run by office bearers who have long crossed the maximum age limit of 70 years prescribed under the Sports Code. They argued that prolonged and ineligible tenures have adversely impacted the sports ecosystem in the region, with athletes and sports enthusiasts bearing the brunt of administrative stagnation and vested interests.
The PIL also points out that the last elections of the Badminton Association of J&K were held on March 6, 2022, when a full executive body was constituted, including a President, Chairman, Vice-Chairmen, office bearers and advisors. The matter continues to be monitored by the High Court, with wider implications for governance reforms and transparency in sports administration across Jammu and Kashmir.