Talk about shutting the stable door long, long after the horse has bolted. In a classic case of too little, too late, the Delhi High Court on Friday restored the mandate of Indian Olympic Association’s ad hoc committee for Wrestling Federation of India.
The timing of the judgment is strange, to say the least, coming as it does in the wake of the tragic circumstances that have surrounded Vinesh Phogat’s tryst with the Paris 2024 Olympics.
It bears noting that Vinesh and celebrated wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and her husband Satyawart Kadian had moved the court earlier this year seeking a stay on the functioning of the WFI in its present form and had sought that it be prevented from undertaking any activity as a national federation for the sport.
As no order was forthcoming from the High Court, the WFI called all the shots as far as India’s campaign at Paris 2024 was concerned in regards to selections and the contingent that was sent for the Games.
In Friday’s judgment, which appears of little consequence in the short to medium term now that the Olympics are done and dusted, Justice Sachin Datta stated that it was on the IOA to re-constitute the committee (or do nothing as is the more likely scenario).
The WFI on its part, has said it will challenge the Delhi High Court order, saying the “interference” could jeopardize the participation of Indian wrestlers at the upcoming World Championships.
The wrestlers, who were at the forefront of last year’s protest at Jantar Mantar demanding the arrest of outgoing WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh for alleged sexual harassment of seven women grapplers, had moved the High Court earlier this year for setting aside and declaring as illegal the elections held in December 2023 to elect the office bearers of the scandal-plagued federation.
Sanjay Singh, a Brij Bhushan loyalist, was elected the new WFI chief in the polls held on December 21, 2023.
In their plea for interim relief, the petitioners had sought a stay on the functioning of the WFI in its present form and to disallow it from undertaking any activity as a national federation for the sport of wrestling.
The Centre had suspended the WFI on December 24, 2023, three days after it elected the new office bearers, for allegedly not following the provisions of its own constitution while taking decisions, and requested IOA to constitute an ad-hoc committee to manage and control its affairs.
In February, world wrestling body UWW lifted the suspension, leading to IOA also dissolving its ad-hoc committee for wrestling in March.
On March 4, the court had issued notice to the Central government, WFI and the ad-hoc committee of WFI on the petition by the top grapplers.
