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By:

Bhalchandra Chorghade

11 August 2025 at 1:54:18 pm

Applause for Cricket, Silence for Badminton

Mumbai: When Lakshya Sen walked off the court after the final of the All England Badminton Championships, he carried with him the disappointment of another near miss. The Indian shuttler went down in straight games to Lin Chun-Yi, who created history by becoming the first player from Chinese Taipei to lift the prestigious title. But the story of Lakshya Sen’s defeat is not merely about badminton final. It is also about the contrasting way India celebrates its sporting heroes. Had the same...

Applause for Cricket, Silence for Badminton

Mumbai: When Lakshya Sen walked off the court after the final of the All England Badminton Championships, he carried with him the disappointment of another near miss. The Indian shuttler went down in straight games to Lin Chun-Yi, who created history by becoming the first player from Chinese Taipei to lift the prestigious title. But the story of Lakshya Sen’s defeat is not merely about badminton final. It is also about the contrasting way India celebrates its sporting heroes. Had the same narrative unfolded on a cricket field, the reaction would have been dramatically different. In cricket, even defeat often becomes a story of heroism. A hard-fought loss by the Indian team can dominate television debates, fill newspaper columns and trend across social media for days. A player who narrowly misses a milestone is still hailed for his fighting spirit. The nation rallies around its cricketers not only in victory but also in defeat. The narrative quickly shifts from the result to the effort -- the resilience shown, the fight put up, the promise of future triumph. This emotional investment is one of the reasons cricket enjoys unparalleled popularity in India. It has built a culture where players become household names and their performances, good or bad, become part of the national conversation. Badminton Fights Contrast that with what happens in sports like badminton. Reaching the final of the All England Championships is a monumental achievement. The tournament is widely considered badminton’s equivalent of Wimbledon in prestige and tradition. Only the very best players manage to reach its final stages, and doing it twice speaks volumes about Lakshya Sen’s ability and consistency. Yet the reaction in India remained largely subdued. There were congratulatory posts, some headlines acknowledging the effort and brief discussions among badminton enthusiasts. But the level of national engagement never quite matched the magnitude of the achievement. In a cricketing context, reaching such a stage would have triggered days of celebration and analysis. In badminton, it often becomes just another sports update. Long Wait India’s wait for an All England champion continues. The last Indian to win the title was Pullela Gopichand in 2001. Before him, Prakash Padukone had scripted history in 1980. These victories remain among the most significant milestones in Indian badminton. And yet, unlike cricketing triumphs that are frequently revisited and celebrated, such achievements rarely stay in the mainstream sporting conversation for long. Lakshya Sen’s journey to the final should ideally have been viewed as a continuation of that legacy, a reminder that India still possesses the talent to challenge the world’s best in badminton. Instead, it risks fading quickly from public memory. Visibility Gap The difference ultimately comes down to visibility and cultural investment. Cricket in India is not merely a sport; it is an ecosystem built over decades through media attention, sponsorship, and mass emotional attachment. Individual sports, on the other hand, often rely on momentary bursts of recognition, usually during Olympic years or when a medal is won. But consistent performers like Lakshya Sen rarely receive the sustained spotlight that their achievements deserve. This disparity can also influence the next generation. Young athletes are naturally drawn to sports where success brings recognition, financial stability and national fame. When one sport monopolises the spotlight, others struggle to build similar appeal. Beyond Result Lakshya Sen may have finished runner-up again, but his performance at the All England Championship is a reminder that India continues to produce world-class athletes in disciplines beyond cricket. The real issue is not that cricket receives immense attention -- it deserves the admiration it gets. The concern is that athletes from other sports often do not receive comparable appreciation for achievements that are equally significant in their own arenas. If India aspires to become a truly global sporting nation, its applause must grow broader. Sporting pride cannot remain confined to one field. Because somewhere on a badminton court, an athlete like Lakshya Sen is fighting just as hard for the country’s colours as any cricketer on a packed stadium pitch. The only difference is how loudly the nation chooses to cheer.

'Insensitive, inhuman': SC stays Allahabad HC observations on rape

  • PTI
  • Mar 26, 2025
  • 4 min read

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday took a strong exception to the Allahabad High Court's recent view on what constitutes rape and stayed its observations, outlining total "insensitivity" and "inhuman approach".


The Allahabad High Court's March 17 order recorded that mere grabbing of breasts and pulling the drawstrings of a woman lowers or "pyjama" did not amount to rape.


Calling it a "very serious matter", a bench of Justices B R Gavai and Augustine George Masih said, "In normal circumstances, we are slow in granting stay at this stage. But since the observations in paragraphs 21, 24 and 26 are totally unknown to canons of law and depict total insensitive and inhuman approach, we are inclined to stay the said observations."


The top court had taken a suo motu cognisance of the matter after the contentious observations of the high court were brought to the notice of Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna by "We the Women of India" collective.


The staying of the high court's controversial observations would mean that they cannot be used in any judicial proceedings for seeking relief by the present set of accused or others.


The high court's verdict had come on a plea by two persons challenging a trial court's order summoning them for the alleged offence of attempt to rape a minor.


The verdict had held that the attempt to rape offence was not made out against the accused. The high court had held they were liable to be summoned for the lesser offence of assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe her.


Referring to the high court's observations, solicitor general Tushar Mehta said, "This is one judgement I take a very serious exception."


Attorney general R Venkataramani also appeared in the matter.


"It is a very serious matter," Justice Gavai said, "exhibiting total insensitiveness on the part of the judge."


The bench added, "We are sorry to use such harsh words against the judge."


Mehta said the chief justice of the high court was the master of the roster there and it was advisable that some steps were taken.


"We have perused the order (of the high court). We are at pains to say that some of the observations made in the impugned order and particularly in paragraphs 21, 24 and 26 depicts a total lack of sensitivity on the part of the author of the judgement," the bench said.


The apex court said it was not as if that the verdict was dictated at the spur of the moment in the court itself.


The high court had reserved its verdict in the matter in November last year and after almost four months, the judgement was pronounced, it added.


The bench said it was clear that the judge had authored the verdict after application of mind.


The top court issued notices to the Centre, Uttar Pradesh government and the parties before the high court in the matter seeking their responses in the suo motu proceeding.


The registrar (judicial) of the apex court was directed by the bench to communicate its order to the registrar of the Allahabad High Court following which it would be "immediately" placed before the chief justice there.


The high court's chief justice was urged to examine the matter and take such steps as he deemed proper.


The bench said the matter would be heard after two weeks.


During the hearing, one of the advocates appearing in the matter said they moved a plea against the high court order.


The bench said the plea would be heard along with the suo motu proceedings.


Another advocate said they would file an application on behalf of the victim's mother.


The March 17 ruling had also said that such an offence fell under the ambit of assault or use of criminal force against any woman with the intent to disrobe or compel her to be naked.


Justice Ram Manohar Narayan Mishra's verdict came on a petition filed by two persons challenging the order of a special judge in Kasganj through which they were summoned under Section 376 (rape) of the IPC among other sections.


It came on record that an application was moved before the court of special judge, POCSO Act, alleging that on November 10, 2021, she (informant) was returning from the home of her sister-in-law along with her 14-year-old daughter.


It was alleged that accused Pawan, Akash and Ashok, who were from her village, met her on the way and offered a lift to her daughter.


The accused allegedly stopped their motorbike on the way to her village and started grabbing her breasts. Akash dragged her and tried to take her beneath the culvert and pulled the drawstring of her lowers.


The high court said the alleged actions of the accused Pawan and Akash was "not sufficient to draw an inference that the accused persons had determined to commit rape" on the survivor as "apart from these facts no other act was attributed to them to further their alleged desire to commit rape on the victim."

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