Delhi HC pulls up CBI over information leak in wrestler Narsingh Yadav doping case

Annoyed over selective leaks of the CBI status report to the media, the Delhi High Court Friday slammed the probe agency for maligning the reputation of wrestler Narsingh Yadav who was banned for four years on doping charge, and asked the CBI Joint Director to look into the matter. The court observed that due to the leaking of contents of the status report on the probe into Yadav's complaint, which alleged that his food was spiked leading to the ban, he has been maligned in a manner which is irreparable.

The court had on February 1, directed the CBI to file its status report in a sealed cover. Justice Najmi Waziri, after going through the report, said that interestingly, the same narration is reflected in some of the media reports.

While the CBI counsel said that the report was filed in the court on January 31 in a sealed cover and had the stamp of the registry. "The matter is under investigation, it is deemed to be privileged information, yet it finds its way into the public domain and is published much to the prejudice and anguish of the petitioner (Yadav)," the court said.

"Without commenting on the freedom of the press and investigative journalism, the court is concerned on the conduct of the investigating agency and its inability to keep the information secured," it added. When CBI counsel Ripu Daman Bhardwaj said he does not know from where the information was leaked to the press, the court said it was a serious issue.

"You cannot leak selectively. It is a serious matter. Enough is enough. Do you realise what has been done to his repute? You cannot malign him like this. For a sportsperson, fairness and integrity are everything, besides his skills. The matter is still under investigation," the judge said. The court said suppose Yadav, who has represented India in many wrestling tournaments all over the world, is acquitted of the doping charge in future, what about the agony suffered by him.

The recent media reports were brought the court's knowledge by Yadav's counsel Kuldeep Sehrawat and Naveen Sehrawat who said he was aggrieved that the contents of the investigation report were published in media, even though it was ordered to be filed in a sealed cover. The court said that the issue of information being published in media has to be looked into and asked the concerned CBI Joint Director to file a report in it.

It also questioned the agency for delaying the probe and asked the CBI to file a report on the status of the case. The court noted that Yadav has been banned from the sport till March 2020 and said: "It is appropriate that the investigation is completed at the earliest."

The court listed the matter for further hearing on March 29. The court had earlier issued a notice to the CBI and asked it to file its response regarding the status of the investigation and how it has pursued the matter.

Prior to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) decision, the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) had cleared Yadav for the 2016 Rio Olympics. He was going to represent India in the men's freestyle 74kg category. It had earlier also asked the CBI what it had been doing since he made the complaint and added that the agency should look at it from the point of view of the sportsperson who has a "short shelf-life", especially in contact sports like wrestling and boxing.

The court had said it would not only be a personal loss, but it would also be a loss to sports and a loss to bring glory to India. The CBI had told the court that the agency had to question members of the CAS panel who had taken the final decision to slap the four-year ban on Yadav.

Yadav has moved the court for speedy disposal of his complaint, saying that it has been pending before the agency since 2016. He has claimed that he had made several representations to the agency to complete the probe, but nothing has happened till date.

(With inputs from agencies.)