Indian badminton player Krishna Prasad Garaga has been fully exonerated after the Anti-Doping Appeal Panel (ADAP) set aside the four-year ban imposed on him by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA), restoring his competitive results, rankings and eligibility.
In a detailed judgment dated January 18, 2026, the ADAP overturned the earlier order of the Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel, which had found Garaga guilty of violating the National Anti-Doping Rules, 2021, and imposed the maximum sanction of four years’ ineligibility.
The appeal panel concluded that the evidence did not establish, to the required standard, that the prohibited substance detected in Garaga’s sample originated from doping.
The case stemmed from an out-of-competition test conducted in February 2024, in which low levels of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) were detected. While NADA maintained that the finding amounted to an anti-doping rule violation under the principle of strict liability, Garaga argued that the hormone levels were endogenous and unrelated to any performance-enhancing substance use.
The ADAP accepted the athlete’s defence, placing significant reliance on expert medical opinions and biochemical data. The panel noted that the persistence of marginal hCG levels over several months was incompatible with exogenous administration, given the accepted short half-life of injected hCG. It also observed that Garaga’s testosterone profile, imaging reports and clinical findings did not support a doping scenario.
Crucially, the panel held that NADA failed to adequately rule out physiological or pathological causes before finalising the charge, as required under WADA’s technical documents. It further ruled that the absence of prior medical history could not be treated as affirmative proof of doping.
As a result, the ADAP annulled all consequences flowing from the earlier order and directed that Garaga be fully reinstated.
Bajrang Punia doping case to be heard again
Indian wrestler Bajrang Punia has received temporary relief in his anti-doping case after the Anti-Doping Appeal Panel (ADAP) ruled that the matter needs to be examined again due to procedural lapses.
In an interim order dated January 18, 2026, the appeal panel admitted Punia’s challenge to the decision of the Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel, which had provisionally suspended him for allegedly refusing to provide a dope sample during an in-competition test in March 2024. The case involves the National Anti-Doping Agency, which has accused Punia of violating anti-doping rules.
The appeal panel did not rule on whether Punia is guilty or innocent. Instead, it focused on how the case was handled earlier. According to the panel, Punia was not given the opportunity to cross-examine key officials and witnesses during the disciplinary proceedings. The panel said this could be a violation of natural justice and the athlete’s right to a fair hearing.
The order noted that under Indian anti-doping laws and World Anti-Doping Agency rules, athletes must be allowed to question evidence and witnesses relied upon against them. Without this, a final decision cannot be considered fair or complete.
To address this, the panel directed that the doping control officer and chaperones involved in the sample collection process must be made available for cross-examination in the next stage of the case. It also made clear that it has not formed any opinion on the merits of the allegations at this stage.
As a result, the case has been put on hold and will now be heard again, with proper procedures to be followed before any final ruling is delivered. The next date of hearing is yet to be announced.
