THE SUPREME COURT ON Friday blocked the Wrestling Federation of India’s concerted efforts to bar Vinesh Phogat from taking part in the selection trials for the upcoming Asian Games, set for Saturday, May 30.
The WFI, currently under the presidency of Sanjay Singh, a loyalist of former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, has left no stone unturned in its implacable opposition to the celebrated wrestler’s return to the competitive mat. But, at least for now, those efforts have been thwarted by the apex court’s ruling, delivered Friday.
Declining to stay a Delhi High Court order that had given relief to Phogat, a two-judge bench of the apex court, headed by Justice PS Narasimha and also comprising Justice Alok Aradhe, stated, “We are not stopping, you go and participate.”
The order came on a petition filed by WFI challenging the May 22 order of the Delhi High Court.
In its order, the High Court Bench of Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia had observed that the grounds taken in the show-cause notice issued by WFI to Phogat appeared “to be pre-mediated and reopening the closed issues” and that “it is necessary that the appellant is permitted to participate in the selection trials in the interest of the sport and justice”.
“The appellant shall be permitted to participate in the selection trials for the Asian Games, 2026, which are scheduled for 30.05.2026 and 31.05.2026,” the court stated in its order.
The Bench had further directed that the trials be video-recorded and ordered the nomination of two independent observers from the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to oversee the process.
While passing its orders, the Bench stated that WFI’s selection policy is “exclusionary for the lack of discretion to consider an iconic player like her, who is returning from a maternity break”.
“The policy and the circular are clearly exclusionary in nature as it does not give any discretion to Respondent number 1 (WFI) to consider iconic players like the appellant in view of the sabbatical taken on account of her maternity leave,” it stated.
The High Court passed the order on Phogat’s appeal against a May 18 order of a single-judge bench, refusing her immediate relief on the issue of her participation in the selection trials.
Meanwhile, the apex court in its ruling delivered on Friday, also issued notice to Phogat on WFI’s petition, after noting that the “larger issues” would be examined later.
