A National Anti-Doping Appeal Panel, by a majority decision, has revoked the provisional suspension of athletics coach N Ramesh. The Dronacharya Award-winning coach – alleged to have assisted two athletes to evade Dope Control Officers in Hyderabad on December 2, 2024 – will have to return before a National Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel to prove his innocence.
Curiously, it took the Appeal Panel six months after reserving judgement to deliver a 2-1 verdict. The Chairperson Geetanjali Sharma and former India hockey captain Rani Rampal ruled in favour of the revocation of the provisional suspension while Dr. Rana Chengappa maintained that there was no ground to interfere with NADA’s decision of March 17, 2025.
NADA was represented before the Anti-Doping Appeal Panel by advocate Prateek Dhanda and its Law Officer Yasir Arafat while Ramesh was represented by advocates Parth Goswami and Ranjeet Pawar.
It is interesting that the Chairperson has recorded that the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) submitted that World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) intelligence inputs suggested that coach Ramesh was allegedly encouraging athletes under his supervision to use prohibited substances and accordingly six athletes were identified for target testing.
Dope Control Officers who went to the GMC Balayogi Stadium in Hyderabad on December 2, 2024, to collect out of competition samples of athletes, reported that Ramesh prevented athletes from signing the Dope Control Forms and instructed the athletes to leave the venue. Besides, the DCOs also alleged that Ramesh did not provide the contact details of the athletes under his watch.
NADA placed athletes Chelimi Pratyusha and Nalabothu Shanmuga Srinivas on provisional suspension for evasion. Pratyusha admitted the Anti-Doping Rule Violation and entered into a Case Resolution Agreement with NADA. She was handed a three year ban on May 2 last. Shanmuga Srinivas’ case is pending adjudication.
Asian Games Heptathlon medalist Nandini Agasara, sprinter Rajitha Kunja, quartermilers Vattikuti Satya Surendra and Swati Rongali and para athlete Naveen Surla submitted samples in Hyderabad that day. Later that month, NADA collected samples in Hyderabad from three other track and field athletes – Jeevanji Deepthi, Chandra Shekar Prasad and Alwala Sai Kiran.
On March 17, 2025, NADA charged Ramesh with complicity or attempted complicity in assisting, encouraging, aiding, abetting, conspiring, covering up or any other type of intentional complicity or Attempted complicity involving an anti-doping rule violation, Attempted anti-doping rule violation. It also placed him on provisional suspension.
Ramesh denied the allegations and requested the revocation of the provisional suspension. On July 3, 2025, a National Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel rejected the request. Ramesh preferred an appeal against that decision before a National Anti-Doping Appeal Panel. The final arguments were heard and judgment reserved on September 26, 2025.
The majority decision took care not to comment on the merits of the case. It left the task of adjudicating the case to the Disciplinary Panel which will examine the documents, consider the pleadings of both NADA and Ramesh as well the testimony of witnesses before passing a reasoned order either sanctioning the coach or exonerating him.
This case is a stark reminder to the adjudicating panels that they have to dispose of cases in a timely manner. There are at least seven sportspersons, including Hangzhou Asian Games Shot Put medalist Kiran Baliyan, 400m runner VK Vismaya and a minor, who are on provisional suspension for testing positive for banned substances in 2024. Their cases have not been resolved yet.
