Wait gets longer: CAS decision on Vinesh appeal to come on August 13
Paris, Aug 10: The ad-hoc division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will take some more time to deliberate on Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat's appeal against her disqualification from the women's 50kg free-style final of the Olympic Games and will announce its decision only on August 13.
The 29-year-old was disqualified for being 100gm overweight at the time on weigh-in on Wednesday. The much-anticipated verdict on her appeal was earlier due to be announced this evening.
However, in a chaotic turn of events, the Indian Olympic Association first stated that the verdict will be out on Sunday before issuing a clarification to say that the outcome will be known only on August 13.
"The ad-hoc division of CAS has extended time for the Sole Arbitrator Hon. Dr Annabelle Bennett in the Vinesh Phogat vs. United World Wrestling & the International Olympic Committee matter to give a decision till 6-00 p.m. on August 13, 2024," the IOA statement read.
"The reference to August 11 in the earlier communication sent by me was to the time given to all parties to present any additional documents before the Sole Arbitator," it added.
The body apologised for "the confusion and inconvenience caused".
The Games will close on Sunday with a ceremony at Stade de France, which was the venue for track and field events.
The CAS ad-hoc division, set up especially for dispute resolution during the Games, had accepted Vinesh's appeal against her ouster on Friday.
The Indian has demanded that she be given a joint silver with Cuban wrestler Yusneylis Guzman Lopez, who had lost to Vinesh but was later promoted to the final following the Indian's disqualification.
American Sarah Hildebrandt won the gold after defeating Lopez in the title clash.
Vinesh was represented by high-profile senior advocates Harish Salve and Vidushpat Singhania.
Crestfallen after being disqualified, the wold championships bronze-medallist announced her retirement on social media.
The United World Wrestling has already made it clear that it was not in favour of making an exception for her although it could consider reforms in rules at a later time.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach held a similar view.
India signed off with six medals at the Games, one silver and five bronze, two of which came from pistol shooter Manu Bhaker. The lone silver was snared by Neeraj Chopra, who was the defending champion in men's javelin throw.
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Doctors who died on duty during COVID-19 entitled to insurance under PMGKY: SC
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New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court held on Thursday that the families of the doctors who died while doing their duties during the COVID-19 pandemic are entitled to an insurance coverage of Rs 50 lakh under the "Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana".
A bench of Justices P S Narasimha and R Mahadevan set aside a Bombay High Court judgment that had held that private doctors were not entitled to the coverage under the government's insurance scheme.
"There is a requisition of the services of doctors and this is evident from the conjoint reading of the provisions of the Act, the Maharashtra Prevention and Containment of COVID-19 Regulations 2020, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation Order dated March 31, 2020, the PMGKY-Package Scheme, the explanatory communication to the PMGKY policy and the FAQs released," the bench said.
It said the invocation of laws and regulations was intended to leave no stone unturned in requisitioning the doctors and the insurance scheme was equally intended to assure doctors and health professionals in the frontline that the country is with them.
The court said individual claims for insurance made under the PMGKY-Package will be considered and decided in accordance with the law and on the basis of evidence.
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"The onus to prove that a deceased lost his life while performing a COVID-19-related duty is on the claimant and the same needs to be established on the basis of credible evidence," it added.
The top court was hearing a plea moved by Pradeep Arora and others against a March 9, 2021, order of the Bombay High Court that held that private hospital staffers were not entitled to receive benefits under the insurance scheme unless their services were requisitioned by the state or the central government.
A plea was filed in the high court by Kiran Bhaskar Surgade, who lost her husband -- who ran a private clinic in Maharashtra's Thane -- to COVID-19 in 2020.
The insurance company rejected her claim under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package (PMGKP) on the ground that her husband's clinic was not recognised as a COVID-19 hospital.
The PMGKP was announced in March 2020 and its coverage has since been extended.
It was launched to provide a safety net to health workers to ensure that in case of any adversity due to COVID-19, their families are taken care of.
An insurance cover of Rs 50 lakh is provided to the health workers under the PMGKP, which has become a safety net for the dependents of the Covid warriors who lost their lives to the infection.
