Rohit Kumar

NEW DELHI, May 23: In a major setback to the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), which had been trying to deny the Olympic medalist wrestler Vinesh Phogat any chance of being selected in the national team for the coming Asian Games, the Delhi High Court has allowed her to participate in the selection trials scheduled for May 30-31.

Apparently in a vengeance mode, the WFI this year had introduced new criteria marking a departure from the previous eligibility norms to declare Vinesh Phogat ineligible for participating in the selection trials. She was also barred from participating in WFI events until June 26, following a show-cause notice issued on May 9.

The move, it is believed, stemmed from the agitation Ms Phogat and some other senior wrestlers had launched in 2023 against the then WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, then a BJP MP, accusing him of sexually harassing some female wrestlers. Mr Singh has since been removed as the WFI president but the post has been taken over by his close aide Sanjay Singh.

“It is necessary that (Phogat) is permitted to participate in the Selection Trials in the interest of sport and justice. In view of the peculiar facts and circumstances of this case, it is clear that, except for (Phogat’s) motherhood and the SCN issued by WFI, she would be entitled to participate in the Selection Trials. Therefore, the circumstances were beyond her control… it is deemed appropriate to protect the interest of (Phogat) by permitting her to participate in the Selection Trials,” a division bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia held.

The bench also directed that the selection trial be video-recorded, and that the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports nominate two independent observers from the Sports Authority of India and the Indian Olympic Association, who shall observe the Selection Trials for the Asian Games and submit a report to the court.

Phogat had taken a break from competition from December 2024, including a maternity break. While the international wrestling body had cleared her to compete from January 1, 2026, the WFI barred her participation and, in its showcase notice, accused her of indiscipline and termed her failure to make weight at the 2024 Paris Olympics a “national embarrassment.”

The Delhi High Court also observed that the “standard for Selection Trials, as adopted in the Policy and the Circular, marks significant deviation from the past practice,” where in the past, the Federation had the discretion to select iconic players for Asian Games without participating in the coaching to be eligible for the trials.

“…the Policy and the Circular are clearly exclusionary in nature as it does not give any discretion to (WFI) to consider iconic players like Phogat in view of the sabbatical taken on account of her maternity leave. It is a well-recognized principle of law that due to maternity, a woman cannot be prejudiced in any manner in terms of her employment, career, ranking and promotion during the period of maternity leave,” the bench reiterated.

In its order, made public on Saturday, the court also criticized the WFI for describing Phogat’s Paris Olympics campaign as a “national embarrassment.” “Such observations made in the SCN despite the Award issued by CAS, which clearly held that there was no wrongdoing on her part, appear to be pre-mediated and are ex facie misconceived and ought to have been avoided. Such observations are retrograde and show the malafide intent of (WFI) by being vindictive against (Phogat),” the bench observed.

“In the present case, (Phogat’s) exclusion from the Selection Trials is directly attributable to the sabbatical and temporary retirement from her sporting activities. The duration of her maternity and recovery from the same coincided with the schedule of the Championships, which were required to be participated in for meeting the eligibility criteria for the Selection Trials of the Asian Games, 2026, in accordance with the bench policy and the Circular,” the bench said.

The bench also observed Phogat had informed the International Testing Agency, United World Wrestling, and the Sports Authority of India about her sabbatical and had received confirmation on July 3, 2025, that she would be eligible to compete from January 1, 2026, onwards.

While the bench disposed of her appeal, Phogat’s challenge to the WFI’s policy and circular, as well as the show-cause notice, remains pending before a single judge.