Wrestlers, Including Bajrang Punia , Challenge WFI Circular on Selection Trials in Delhi HC

The Delhi High Court has received a petition from wrestlers Sakshi Malik, Vines Phogat, Satyawrat Kadiyan, and Bajrang Punia challenging the Wrestling Federation of India’s (WFI) decision to hold trials for the Asian Olympic Games qualifying tournament and the Senior Asian Wrestling Championships in 2024. The plea claimed that, in defiance of the orders of the Ad-Hoc Committee for Wrestling Federation of India by the Indian Olympic Association and Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, the suspended Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) is holding selection trials for the Senior Asian Wrestling Championships 2024 and the Asian Olympic Games Qualifying Wrestling Tournament, as announced through its circular dated February 26, 2024.

The petitioners allege that WFI has singled them out and harassed a great number of other athletes for being vocal, outspoken, and critical of WFI’s obvious wrongdoings and corrupt practices, including but not limited to accusations of sexual harassment by Federation office bearers. On December 21, 2023, WFI, a National Sports Federation officially recognized by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, held its elections. Following the elections that took place on December 21, 2023, the Ministry issued an order on December 24, 2023, prohibiting the Executive Committee of WFI from engaging in any activities related to overseeing and managing the Federation’s daily operations.

The same order from December 24, 2023 also instructed the Indian Olympic Association to form an Ad-Hoc Committee to oversee and manage the Wrestling Federation of India’s operations, including athlete selection, athlete registration for international competitions, sporting events, etc., effective immediately and until further orders are issued. Plea further stated that the current WFI executive body had consistently acted illegally, overstepped the directives against the principles of the National Sports Development Code-2011, r/w Judgment passed August 16, 2022, and against the interests of wrestling athletes, despite clear directions to that effect from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and the Olympic Association of India.

The petitioners request that the ad hoc committee be directed to continue managing the day-to-day operations of WFI, or else they designate an administrator, preferably a retired Supreme Court or High Court judge, to take over the organization’s affairs and management in order to guarantee that the Olympic Association of India complies with a suggested timeline for restructuring and reconstituting Respondent WFI.