New Delhi:The Delhi high court on Wednesday issued notice in a plea seeking directions to the Wrestling Federation of India (WFIs) ad hoc committee to conduct fresh selection trials for the upcoming wrestling competitions.
The ad hoc committee was appointed by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on December 27, 2023, after the Union Sports Ministry had restrained Sanjay Singh-led WFI from running the federation’s day-to-day activities. In its December 24 order, the ministry had also asked IOA to constitute an ad hoc committee to manage and control the affairs of WFI including the selection of athletes, making entries for the participants of the sportsperson in international events.
However, on March 18, IOA had disbanded the ad hoc committee, saying that there was “no further need” for it to run in light of the United World Wrestling (UWW) lifting WFI’s ban and the successful completion of selection trials by the ad hoc committee. On August 16, the high court had restored the ad hoc committee’s mandate to manage and control WFI’s affairs and asked IOA to restore the same.
A bench of justice Prateek Jalan sought response from the sports ministry, the Sanjay Singh led-WFI and the WFI ad hoc committee in the application filed by four wrestlers, including Bajrang Punia, and fixed December 12 as the next date of hearing.
The court sought response days after IOA submitted that it had decided not to reconstitute the ad hoc committee and interfere with the federation’s autonomy. In an affidavit filed through its president PT Usha, IOA said such a move would not serve any purpose as its decisions would not be accepted by the United World Wrestling (UWW).
In its application, argued by senior advocate Rahul Mehra and advocate Chaitanya Gosain, the wrestlers had claimed that WFI, despite the high court’s August 16 order, has been conducting selection trials for various events, including the 2024 World Championships. “This act of conducting selection trials in violation of the hon’ble court’s explicit directions that the ad hoc committee should manage such affairs and the respondent no 2/WFI should abstain from managing the affairs of respondent no 2/WFI, is not only illegal but also prejudices the rights of all Indian wrestlers who are entitled to a free, fair and transparent selection process in national interest,” the application stated.
The application was preferred in the wrestler’s writ to declare federation’s December 21, 2023, elections as illegal, had sought for appointment of a one-man committee to take over the management, control and administration of the WFI.
The application underlined that though the high court on August 16 had asked the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to reinstate the ad hoc committee, the IOA failed to comply with the same. This non-compliance, it stated, contravened the principles of transparency, accountability, proper governance of the National Sports Federation (NSFs), as mandated by the Sports Code and has also allowed WFI’s influence to persist unchecked.