Delhi High Court Issues Notice on Wrestling Plea

On an application preferred by four wrestlers, including Bajrang Punia, seeking directions to the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) ad hoc committee to conduct fresh selection trials for the upcoming wrestling competitions, the Delhi High Court has issued notices to the sports ministry, WFI, and the WFI ad hoc committee.

The provisional suspension imposed on the WFI by United World Wrestling (UWW) last year was lifted in March this year. This led the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to dissolve the ad hoc committee set up to oversee the WFI’s operations, even though the suspension imposed by the Sports Ministry still subsists. Therefore, a plea was filed against this, and the court issued an interim order noting that the IOA’s decision to dissolve the ad hoc committee was incompatible with the sports ministry’s suspension order.

In August, the high court restored the ad hoc committee’s mandate to manage and control WFI’s affairs and asked IOA to restore the same. However, disregarding the order, WFI had been conducting selection trials for various events, including the 2024 World Championships. The application was preferred, seeking the appointment of a one-person committee to take over the management, control, and administration of the WFI and declare the December elections illegal. The IOA had also failed to comply with the High Court’s order by not reinstating the ad hoc committee.