Bengaluru: The High Court on Tuesday directed the State government to conduct selection matches for 11 children in Hyderabad before the national badminton championship is scheduled to begin on February 11, as part of the Khelo India programme of the Ministry of Sports.

Justice A.S. Bopanna passed the interim order on the petitions filed by the parents from Bengaluru.

The petitioners complained that neither they nor their children were aware of the State-level selection rounds being held in the city as the State’s sports authorities had failed to publicise the selection process, though the intention of programme was to attract children to the competition.

The petitioner said they came to know about the selection on February 6, which was the final day for State-level selection, through a newspaper report and could not ready their children, aged between 12 and 15 years, to participate. Some of these children are said to have already participated in several championships earlier.

The court has told the State authorities to conduct another round of selection process involving the 11 children, and those already selected to participate in the national level, and allow the winners in this round to participate in the national-level championship.