Delhi HC turns down wrestler’s plea

The Delhi High Court on Friday issued an interim order to restore the ad hoc committee previously constituted by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to manage the matters pertaining to the Wrestling Federation of India.

What is the order?

The court, via the order, stated that the IOA dissolving the ad hoc committee was not in alignment with the Union Sports Ministry’s order of having suspended the WFI after the elections in December.

The court stated that until such time that the suspension order was recalled, it was indeed required for the ad hoc committee to manage the affairs of the federation.

Wrestler’s plea turned down

The court, however, turned down the wrestler’s plea that sought the appointment of a retired high court or Supreme Court judge as the administrator of WFI.

Instead, the court stated that it would be open to the IOA reconstituting the ad hoc committee.

The plea was submitted by wrestlers Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and her husband Satyawart Kadian.

The wrestlers had sought that the elections held to elect the office-bearers of the WFI last year be declared illegal.

Why was WFI suspended?

The centre had previously suspended the WFI on the 24th of December, 2023, a mere three days after WFI had elected its new office-bearers.

The suspension was owing to the WFI not having followed the provisions of its own constitution while taking decisions.

The centre in-turn had requested the IOA to constitute an ad hoc committee to manage the affairs of the WFI.

The UWW had in February, lifted the suspension on WFI and this led the IOA to dissolve the ad hoc committee on the 18th of March.

The court clarified that UWW’s lifting of the ban on WFI was not connected with the centre’s suspension order and the subsequent formation of the ad hoc committee by the IOA.

The IOA, for its part, had clarified to the court that a warning was received by the UWW asking for non-interference with the autonomy of WFI, failing which the wrestling federation would be suspended yet again.

The court’s order, therefore, can be seen as a measure to ensure that no new suspension is levied on the federation by UWW while tasking the IOA into restoring some sort of order in the running of the federation.