The National Rifles Association of India (NRAI), which is currently embroiled in a legal battle over its selection criteria for ongoing Olympic trials, has come under fire for bending the rules to allow marksman Karan to participate in shotgun selection trials despite missing the requisite score by two points. While several other shooters with identical scores from last year’s National Championships were excluded, Karan received an exception due to a recommendation from the Army.
NRAI secretary Rajiv Bhatia defended the decision, stating that Karan is a “budding” shooter and his performance in previous competitions justified the exception. However, the move has raised concerns about the fairness of the selection process, as it appears to contradict the NRAI’s insistence in court that it will not allow more than the top five shooters in rifle and pistol events to participate in the ongoing trials.
Bhatia explained that Karan’s exception was made under a special criteria due to his previous scores and that he was not guaranteed a spot on the national squad for international competitions. He added that the NRAI is also aiming to promote shotgun shooting, which has fewer participants compared to other categories.
The decision to allow Karan to participate in the trials has drawn criticism from former national coach and legendary pistol shooter Jaspal Rana, who has accused the NRAI of not following international norms. The incident has further fueled the debate over the NRAI’s selection process and raised questions about the organization’s commitment to fairness and transparency.
