Delhi HC Seeks Centre, WFI Response on Plea by Wrestlers to Take Over WFI Affairs

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 13th Nov. The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought the stance of the Centre and the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) on a plea filed by renowned wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, and her husband Satyawart Kadian, urging the appointment of an IOA-ad hoc committee or a retired Supreme Court or High Court judge to take over the affairs of the WFI.

Justice Prateek Jalan issued a notice to the Centre and the WFI, directing them to file their responses within two weeks. The matter, which is part of the wrestlers’ petition challenging the elections held within the federation, is scheduled for hearing on December 12.

The petitioners have requested that the WFI refrain from holding any selection trials under its current management, which they claim is being run by a “proxy” president. They argue that the selection trials are detrimental to the wrestlers and violate a previous court ruling on the establishment of an ad-hoc committee to oversee the WFI’s activities.

The wrestlers, who were at the forefront of the Jantar Mantar protests last year calling for the arrest of outgoing WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh for alleged sexual harassment of seven female wrestlers, have also alleged that the current selection trials for the 2024 Senior World Wrestling Championship are being held unlawfully, thus undermining the rights of the athletes.

The petitioners further contend that the WFI has continued to act in defiance of the court’s directions, particularly concerning the failure to establish an ad-hoc committee, which had been recommended by the Centre following the suspension of the WFI on December 24, 2023. This suspension was triggered by claims that the WFI had failed to follow its own constitution during the election of new office bearers, with Sanjay Singh, a close associate of Brij Bhushan, being elected as the new president in December 2023.

The suspension was lifted by the United World Wrestling (UWW) in February 2024, leading to the dissolution of the ad-hoc committee by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) in March. However, in a ruling on August 16, the Delhi High Court maintained that the WFI’s affairs should be managed by an ad-hoc committee until the Centre’s suspension order is formally revoked.

In the latest application, the petitioners accused the WFI of disregarding the court’s directives and claimed that the ongoing selection trials for the upcoming World Wrestling Championship were “illegal” and prejudiced the athletes’ rights to a fair selection process. They highlighted that the WFI had issued a circular on September 24, 2024, calling for selection trials, which they argue violates the court’s explicit instructions for the ad-hoc committee to oversee such activities.