Lok Sabha passes Anti-Doping (Amendment) Bill amid Opposition uproar

The Lok Sabha on Monday passed the National Anti-Doping (Amendment) Bill, 2025, despite protests and slogans raised by opposition members.

Introduced on July 23, 2025, the Bill seeks to amend the National Anti-Doping Act, 2022, reinforcing India’s anti-doping framework to align more closely with global standards set by the UNESCO Convention against doping in sports.

Doping, defined as the use of banned substances by athletes to unfairly boost performance, remains a major concern in competitive sports. The original 2022 Act established the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) to oversee testing and enforcement, and created the National Board for Anti-Doping in Sports to supervise NADA and guide government policy.

Key Amendments in the 2025 Bill

Central Government Gains Appeal Panel Authority: The power to constitute the Appeal Panel and prescribe appeal procedures has shifted from the National Board to the central government.

Enhanced Autonomy for Anti-Doping Bodies: Oversight powers of the National Board over the Disciplinary and Appeal Panels have been removed, granting NADA’s leadership operational independence from sports federations, Olympic committees, government departments, and related agencies.

Limited Right to Appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS): Only select bodies like WADA, IOC, IPC, and international sports federations can now appeal to CAS, restricting the previous open right.

Direct Appeal to CAS in Specific Cases: For international-level cases, affected parties including athletes and key agencies may directly appeal CAS. WADA can also file a direct appeal if no one else has challenged a final NADA decision domestically.

Other Significant Changes

• The Bill adopts the World Anti-Doping Code’s definitions and schedules, giving them the force of law in India.
  
• It makes WADA accreditation mandatory for all doping testing laboratories in the country.
  
• NADA is now required to verify if any lab or testing procedural lapses contributed to adverse doping test results during its reviews.