Delhi HC dismisses plea of Antim and Sujeet agains Trial exemption

The Delhi High Court ruled in favor of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) by dismissing petitions filed by wrestlers Antim Panghal and Sujeet Kalkal on Saturday.

Justice Subramonium Prasad of the Delhi High Court dismissed the plea filed by Under-20 World Champion Antim Panghal and Under-23 Asian Champion Sujeet Kalkal against wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat's direct entry into the Asian Games 2023.

The court upheld the decision of the Indian Olympic Association's ad-hoc committee, which granted Vinesh Phogat (53kg) and Bajrang Punia (65kg) direct entry into the tournament, while other wrestlers had to earn their spots through selection trials scheduled on July 22 and 23.

On July 19, Panghal and Kalkal took the matter to the Supreme Court, challenging the exemption and urging for a fair selection procedure for the quadrennial event.

The petition filed by advocates Hrishikesh Baruah and Akshay Kumar sought to overturn the IOA ad-hoc committee's directive regarding the men's freestyle 65kg and women's 53kg categories and to reinstate the exemption granted to Phogat and Punia.

However, the Delhi High Court upheld the Indian Olympic Association's decision to permit Punia and Phogat to represent India at the Asian Games without undergoing trials.

Wrestler Vishal Kaliraman emphasized the need for a fair trial, "They have been staging a protest for a year now, while we have been practicing. We appeal for a trial. We don't want any favour or benefit. At least a trial should be conducted otherwise we are ready to go to court"