Yoga Not Recognized As 'Sport' By Ministry, No Bonus Marks For Selection As PT Instructor: Rajasthan High Court

Rajasthan High Court dismissed a petition that challenged State's decision to not grant bonus marks provided for participation in Sports based on petitioner's certificate of Yoga, opining that in a notification dated December 21, 2016, Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports clarified that since it was not feasible to hold any competitive sports tournaments for Yoga, it could not be termed as Sports.

“A perusal of the above clearly leaves no manner of doubt that even if the Yoga is categorized as Sports as is the assertion of the petitioners, even then no benefit of the same can be given to the petitioners since it is not feasible to hold any competitive sports tournaments of Yoga and thus in strict sense it cannot be termed as sports for the purpose of according benefit of bonus marks.”

The bench of Justice Arun Monga was hearing a petition filed by a candidate for the post of Physical Training Instructor, who was challenging the State's action of not considering his certificate in Yoga as sports certificate for the purpose of granting bonus marks to him in the recruitment process.

It was argued on behalf of the petitioner that as per the advertisement for the post, bonus marks were granted to such candidates who participated in the sports events at various levels. It was submitted that the petitioner had obtained the certificate of participation in the All-India-Inter-University tournaments (AIITU) in Yoga for representing JVNU, Jodhpur.

However, based on a communication dated December 21, 2016, by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports which stated that Yoga was not recognized as a sport by the Ministry, State did not grant bonus marks to him. It was argued that such a communication did not apply to him since it was not addressed to any state authority.

After perusing the records as well as the communication, the Court highlighted that the Petitioner did not have a sports certificate recognized by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, hence he was not awarded any marks for the Yoga certificate.

“communication dated 21.12.2016 also supports this position, stating that since Yoga has various dimensions in which competitions are not standardized, it cannot be considered a sport. Since the petitioner does not possess the requisite valid sports certificate, he was not selected.”

In this light, the Court found no grounds to interfere, and accordingly the petition was dismissed.

Title: Sita Ram v State of Rajasthan & Ors.

Citation: 2025 LiveLaw (Raj) 39

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