The top court said the judiciary cannot “command” communities to fraternise. The quality of fraternity is built through lived experiences in unity, mutual trust and shared endeavour. File.
| Photo Credit: The Hindu
The Supreme Court has said it should be the sadhana (endeavour) of the Union government to recognise sporting facilities and opportunities as “material resources” of the community, saying sports is a powerful unifying force against communalism, casteism, racism and discrimination.
“National, international, regional or even mohalla sports in India serve as the karmabhumi where cohesion and collective purpose take tangible form. They bring together individuals from diverse social, linguistic, and cultural backgrounds under a common pursuit, embodying the Constitutional value of fraternity. Here, individual and collective aspirations find a way to coalesce,” Justice P.S. Narasimha observed in a recent judgment in the All India Football Federation (AIFF) case.
The top court said the judiciary cannot “command” communities to fraternise. The quality of fraternity is built through lived experiences in unity, mutual trust and shared endeavour.
“On the field, teamwork compels individuals to set aside personal distinctions and work together, cultivating habits of cooperation, solidarity, and mutual respect. Accessibility of sports is important, for when opportunities to participate are open to all — irrespective of race, caste, religion, sex, or economic status — the unifying power of sport is amplified,” Justice Narasimha pointed out.
The court said sports should not be a privilege of the few. Sporting facilities and opportunities must be accessible to all strata of society, only then would the spirit of fraternity be strengthened.
“Inclusiveness ensures that sports become not a privilege of the few but a medium through which fraternity is strengthened across society. In this way, sports operationalise what the framers [of the Constitution] envisioned – an intangible yet indispensable force that holds us together through shared effort and common purpose,” Justice Narasimha observed.
Sports and sporting bodies must be seen as institutions of “national life”. Hence, not only sports, but also sports administration, must be accessible to the deserving, no matter what strata of society they hail from, the court said.
“It should be the deeper sadhana of the state, and it is also our Constitutional duty to ensure that sporting facilities and opportunities flourish with institutional efficiency, integrity, professionalism, and expertise,” the apex court observed.
Justice Narasimha said sports must not remain in the exclusive clutches of the “urban economic elite”.
“The revenues from sporting events, intellectual property and media rights are to be distributed to subserve and encourage accessible and affordable sport in our country,” Justice Narasimha underscored.
Published – September 29, 2025 08:20 pm IST
