Bajrang Punia’s lawyer calls suspension arbitrary

Vinayak Padmadeo

New Delhi, June 23

A day after the NADA provisionally suspended Bajrang Punia for the second time in two months, his lawyer has called the fresh notice arbitrary. Bajrang has been asked to respond to the latest suspension by July 11.

Bajrang’s counsel Vidhusphat Singhania, who was instrumental in getting his provisional suspension revoked last month after the anti-doping disciplinary panel (ADDP) deemed that the NADA had erred in not formally charging Bajrang, said the fresh notice was strange as his replies are all available on record.

“While Bajrang is in receipt of the NADA notice suspending him again and asking for his response, it is quite strange that they, despite athlete submission being available on record with NADA, have chosen not only to ignore it, but unlike any quasi-judicial authority, even to comment on its merit while again imposing the provisional suspension. This conduct of NADA is arbitrary,” Singhania told The Tribune.

Asked when a response is likely to be filed for the latest suspension, he said that they would do it soon. “Like I had said our response is all there but now perhaps all those replies have to be compiled as one. We will file the reply very soon,” he added.

In March, Bajrang had refused to comply with the dope collection officer stating that NADA was yet to respond to his earlier charge of expired sample collection kits. The dope collector officer’s report had stated that the Olympics medallist left despite being told that the refusal would lead to a notice for anti-doping rule violations.