Now strict noose on doping! Jail and fine to those who supply, big initiative of Sports Ministry

New Delhi: Amidst the Sports Ministry’s initiative to criminalize doping, the draft Anti-Doping Bill of 2018 has also come into limelight with the provision of jail and heavy fines for those supplying banned substances and the debate and opposition from organizations like the Indian Olympic Association. The issue of criminalizing doping dominated the last conference of the Global Anti-Doping Intelligence and Investigation Network of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) held here on Thursday.

WADA President Witold Banka reiterated that he would appeal to governments to criminalize doping but to target those who supply banned drugs and deliver them to athletes so that athletes are not harmed. About a decade ago, preparations were made to make doping a crime in India on the suggestions of a committee headed by Justice (retd) Mukul Mudgal. Justice Mudgal was the one who investigated the 2013 IPL spot-fixing scandal in Indian cricket.

The draft bill said, “Any person who is found to be regularly engaged in supplying a prohibited substance to an athlete for commercial purposes shall be guilty of the offense of ‘trafficking’ and shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year.” Along with this, a fine can also be imposed on him, which can be up to Rs 10 lakh.

This provision, however, was removed from the bill passed in 2022 and amended last year. At that time the government had considered preventive law rather than criminal law. The IOA had opposed this provision at that time and its then general secretary Rajeev Mehta had said that the supply of performance enhancing drugs cannot be completely criminalized as they can be used outside sports. Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya indicated on Thursday that strict provisions could be brought to make doping a crime. For the last three years, India has topped WADA’s global list of dope violations.

Mandaviya had said in the conference, “We are working on bringing criminal provisions against the support staff who supply banned drugs to the players or those involved in smuggling of banned drugs.” At present, there is no provision of punishment in India against those who supply banned substances to the players and disciplinary action is limited to ban on the players if they are found guilty in the investigation.