The Haryana Human Rights Commission has taken cognisance of the incident at a sports nursery in Lakhan Majra, Rohtak, where a basketball pole collapsed on November 25, 2025, resulting in the death of Hardik Rathi, an emerging national-level player. The 16-year-old was practising on the court that morning when the pole gave way and fatally crushed him, as confirmed by multiple news reports.
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The commission chairperson, Justice Lalit Batra, observed that the incident, on the face of the material placed before the commission, prima facie discloses a grave violation of human rights, particularly the right to life, safety, and dignity guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution of India.
The matter has been listed for hearing before the full commission on May 19, 2026.
Justice Batra clarified that “the case transcends an isolated accident and raises broader issues concerning the safety of public sports infrastructure, administrative accountability, and the fundamental right to life of children and athletes”. The commission emphasised that “systemic failure and negligence on the part of State authorities cannot be countenanced”.
Assistant Registrar Dr Puneet Arora said the principal secretary of the sports department had been directed to ensure the submission of the inquiry committee’s report at least one week prior to the next scheduled hearing. The director-general of the sports and youth affairs department, Panchkula, has also been instructed to submit the pending detailed report expeditiously.
Administrative lapses
The commission noted that in compliance with its earlier order dated December 18, 2025, a report had been submitted by the Rohtak deputy commissioner. However, the report failed to provide substantive details regarding the accident’s actual cause, adherence to safety norms, or compensation granted to the bereaved family. Instead, it merely mentioned the sanction of Rs 17,80,294 from the MPLADS portal for the construction of a basketball stadium.
The commission further observed that although an inquiry committee was constituted on November 26, 2025, its detailed findings had not yet been submitted. It also expressed concern over the apparent absence of a clear mechanism for safety inspections of sports infrastructure, periodic structural stability assessments, and a standard operating procedure governing compensation in cases of death or grievous injury.
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Justice Batra underscored that Haryana has long been at the forefront of sporting excellence and invested substantial public funds in sports infrastructure. In such circumstances, he remarked, “it is incumbent upon the State to ensure rigorous safety standards, quality control, and regular maintenance of facilities created from public resources”.
“If the basketball pole was rusted and in a hazardous condition, and despite repeated warnings was neither repaired nor replaced, such inaction would amount to gross negligence and dereliction of statutory duty,” the commission observed. The loss of a young athlete due to administrative indifference, it added, constitutes a violation of the state’s constitutional obligations.
Key directions issued
The commission has issued several significant directions:
The principal secretary of the sports department has been directed to constitute a high-powered inquiry committee.
The committee will determine the precise cause of the incident and fix responsibility on officials, engineers, or contractors concerned.
It will examine whether approved designs, quality standards, and maintenance protocols were followed.
A statewide audit of all sports nurseries and government-run sports facilities will be undertaken to assess structural stability and safety compliance.
A uniform mechanism for regular inspection, third-party structural certification, and systematic maintenance will be recommended.
Appropriate compensation to the bereaved family will be considered, keeping in view the gravity of the loss and the deceased player’s future prospects.
A structured, time-bound standard operating procedure will be formulated to ensure immediate interim relief and final compensation in cases of death or grievous injury at state-run or state-funded sports facilities.
The high-powered committee is to comprise a senior IAS officer as chairperson, the director-general of sports and youth affairs, a senior structural engineer, and a distinguished national-level sportsperson or Arjuna Awardee as members.
