New Delhi: The Supreme Court Tuesday refused to entertain a petition seeking to declare Hockey as the national game. The court will not be able to do anything, the judges said and asked the petitioner to either withdraw his plea or have its dismissal.
The petitioner, Vishal Tiwari, had contended before the court that the country does not have a national game like it has a national animal.
"The history of hockey in India has been a source of pride for the entire country. India has consistently dominated in the sport but suffered as set back. It can be said with greater misfortune that the country could not score an Olympic medal last 41 years. Only in Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the country was able to secure bronze medal," the petitioner said in his plea.
His argument was that as the country has a national animal, there should be a national sport as well. Hockey in spite of its glorious past is not garnering enough attention. Compared to cricket, Tiwari contended that hockey is not receiving support from the government.
The bench comprising Justice UU Lalit, Justice S Ravindra Bhat and Justice Bela Trivedi said that "we won't be able to do anything". "There should be a drive within people. People like Mary Kom have risen above the adversities. The court can not do anything," the three-member bench said.
Unlike popular belief, hockey is not the national game of India. The country does not have a national game in fact. Responding to an RTI query, the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has said that the Centre has not declared any sport as the "national game" of the country.
The RTI query was filed by a school teacher from the Dhule district of north Maharashtra last year.
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