Bengaluru, May 31 (UNI) In a landmark judgment restoring both reputation and career, the Karnataka High Court on Saturday quashed the four-year doping ban imposed on national basketball player Shashank J Rai, accepting his scientifically substantiated defence that the presence of a banned substance in his urine was the inadvertent result of pork consumption—a dietary staple in his native coastal Karnataka.
Justice M Nagaprasanna, allowing the writ petition filed by Rai, held that the penalty imposed by the Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel and later upheld by the Appellate Authority was vitiated by a glaring failure to consider his plausible explanation, backed by expert opinion and documentation.
“The petitioner attributes the presence of 19-NA to regular pork consumption, specifically non-castrated male pig meat, supported by bills and expert opinions. This plausible explanation was ignored by both the Disciplinary and Appellate panels,” the Court noted.
Rai was provisionally suspended in April 2022 after his out-of-competition urine sample tested positive for 19-Norandrosterone (19-NA), a prohibited anabolic agent. Though the concentration was below 15 ng/ml, the sample was sent—after being opened and resealed—to an overseas laboratory in Rome for further analysis. He was later handed a four-year suspension from October 2022 under Articles 2.1 and 2.2 of the National Anti-Doping Rules.
The athlete, however, maintained that he had unknowingly consumed pork sourced from a non-castrated male pig the night before the test. International studies and scientific evidence, he pointed out, have shown that consumption of such meat can lead to the appearance of trace 19-NA in urine. His legal team produced not just food bills and expert testimony but also referenced the relevant World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) guidance.
Crucially, the Court found that neither the Disciplinary Panel nor the Appellate Authority made any attempt to probe this defence or offer a reasoned rejection.
“This Court finds the impugned orders vitiated by non-consideration of vital material, absence of reasoned adjudication and a palpable breach of the principle of fairness,” Justice Nagaprasanna observed.
The ruling further criticised the procedural handling of Rai’s urine sample, which was collected while he was training, opened and resealed in Delhi, and then dispatched internationally. The Court found this violated Section 21 of the National Anti-Doping Act, 2022, and Article 6.4 of the WADA Code, both of which mandate verifiable and documented sample handling.
“The case at hand is a classic illustration of breach of sample integrity,” the Court said, adding that Section 22 of the Act had also been violated, as it ensures the right of an athlete to a fair hearing, presentation of evidence, and examination of witnesses during appeals.
Justice Nagaprasanna was particularly emphatic on the personal toll doping allegations take on athletes.
“The ignominy suffered by any sports person accused of doping is a unique and deeply personal form of disgrace... Once a sportsperson is found accused of doping, his past achievements become suspect, as if victory was not earned but engineered,” the Court said in a strongly worded observation.
Refusing to remand the matter for fresh adjudication, the Court noted that three years had already passed and Rai had served three-fourths of the suspension period. In light of the “unimpeachable explanation” backed by “documents of sterling quality”, the Court quashed all related orders to “give a quietus” to the matter and enable Rai to resume his sporting career.
The judgment reaffirms that while anti-doping enforcement must be strict, it cannot compromise fundamental fairness, especially when an athlete mounts a genuine and evidence-based defence.
Senior Advocate M S Bhagwat appeared for the petitioner, briefed by Advocate K Satish. The respondents were represented by Deputy Solicitor General of India H Shanti Bhushan.
UNI BDN RN