Shot putter P. B. Giri, suspended in 2008 for an anti-doping rule violation, was on Monday hauled up before the National Anti-Doping Disciplinary panel for a second violation.
In the normal course, a second violation would have attracted a life ban, but in this case there is room for debate.
His first offence in 2008, was on a test conducted in the Delhi laboratory when it was under accreditation procedures of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
ADVERTISEMENT
Now, the lab, named National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL), is a WADA-accredited facility and his sample of January, 2010, was tested in this laboratory.
Interestingly, Giri, a Services athlete who was tested on both occasions by the Services Anti-Doping Authority (SADA), came positive a second time on a sample collected exactly two years after the one which brought out his first offence. In both instances he tested positive for steroid stanozolol.
The hearing panel, under Dinesh Dayal, a retired High Court Judge, reserved its order, but the question did crop up about the quantum of punishment that could be handed out to him.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) Medical and Anti-Doping Committee Chairman, Dr Arun Mendiratta, contended before the panel that the suspension of 2008 was valid as per the AFI rules.
The suspension happened to have been imposed by the SADA and enforced by the AFI.
More time sought
Hammer thrower Sukanya Mishra, who engaged a lawyer to plead her case, sought some more time to prepare her defence and that was granted.
Sukanya, National champion and inter-State champion in 2009 (personal best 56.96m) who tested positive for stanozolol, had finished sixth in the Asian athletics championships in Guangzhou, China, last year.