New Delhi: The Delhi High Court said on Tuesday that wrestlers aggrieved with lifting of suspension of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) are free to challenge the Centre’s move before the appropriate court.
A division bench of Chief Justice (CJ) D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela suggested the single-judge bench to expeditiously decide the plea of wrestlers, including Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, and Sakshi Malik, against the 2023 WFI elections.
The CJ Upadhyaya-led bench remarked that wrestlers could seek relevant documents related to the revocation of WFI’s suspension through appropriate legal channels, when wrestlers’ counsel contended that the report, which formed the basis of the suspension revocation, was not made available to them.
Meanwhile, the Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Mansukh Mandaviya, said the suspension of the WFI was revoked following an order by the Delhi High Court for the better future of wrestlers.
“As per the High Court order, the Ministry decided to lift the sanctions so that our wrestlers can participate in the Asian and World Championships. This also gives justice looking at the future of our wrestlers,” Mandaviya told reporters on Tuesday.
The Ministry lifted its suspension on the WFI on Tuesday, giving control back to President Sanjay Singh, who is a close aide of former federation chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh — the former BJP MP accused of sexually harassing women wrestlers.
The decision also allows the WFI to hold domestic tournaments and select national teams for international tournaments.
The Sports Ministry suspended the Sanjay Singh-led federation three days after the elections over the announcement to hold U-15 and U-20 nationals and has asked the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to establish a temporary panel to oversee the operations of the WFI.
On December 21, 2023, the day Sanjay Singh assumed the role of WFI President, he declared that national trials for wrestling in the U-15 and U-20 categories would be conducted in Uttar Pradesh’s Gonda.
The suspension led to the formation of the ad-hoc committee constituted by the IOA to oversee the day-to-day operations of the WFI.
The Ministry, in its letter, has also mentioned the directions to run the federations.
“The WFI must revert the amendments carried out during the suspension period and have a balance of power among the designated office-bearers and provide checks and balance in the decision-making process, and this process should be completed in four weeks.”
“Any person who is not elected as an office-bearer, as also the suspended/terminated salaried officials of the WFI, must remain completely disassociated from the Federation and its affiliate units. The EC of WFI must give an undertaking in this regard within four weeks. Any violation of the undertaking will invite appropriate legal action, including action under the Sports Code.”
“The WFI must ensure that selection for all international events should be done in a free, fair, and transparent manner as per the extant provisions of the Sports Code and the other latest instructions issued in this regard along with regulations issued from time to time by the United World Wrestling,” the letter said.
(IANS)
