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A public interest litigation (PIL) plea has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking directions to cancel the India v. Pakistan cricket match, which is scheduled to take place in Dubai on 14 September, in the Asia Cup T20 league, 2025.
The plea has been filed by one Urvashi Jain, who has challenged the scheduled match by contending that playing with Pakistan would send an opposite message and that the dignity and security of citizens come before entertainment. "Cricket between nations is meant to show harmony and friendship. But after the Pahalgam Terror Attack and Operation Sindoor, when our people died and our soldiers risked everything, playing with Pakistan sent the opposite message that while our soldiers sacrificing their lives, we are celebrating sports with the same families of the victims who lost their lives at the hands of the Pakistani terrorist", the plea says. It further asserts that the cricket match between India and Pakistan is detrimental to the national interest, to the morale of the armed forces and of the nation as a whole. Additionally, the plea states that the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports does not recognise any official cricket federation, while the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) operates like "a nation within a nation", insensitive to the national problems, calamities, sorrows and so on. The petitioner further contends that organising a cricket match with Pakistan amid ongoing tensions is sending out an unhealthy message to the armed forces and the public in general. "Operation Sindoor is still ongoing against the terror base camps in Pakistan. When we still have infiltrations in a non-stop manner in the valley of Kashmir, our armed forces have been carrying out day & night search operations fighting the infiltrators from Pakistan, our soldiers are sacrificing their lives and citizens too falling prey to the bullets of Pakistan-sponsored terrorists", the plea argues. Additionally, the petitioner highlights that under the National Sports Governance Act, 2025, BCCI does not qualify as a National Sports Federation (NSF) and is therefore required to come under the jurisdiction of the National Sports Board (NSB). In light of these circumstances, the petitioner seeks an interim stay in the scheduled match between India and Pakistan on September 14, 2025, in Dubai. (ANI)
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