(PTI)
NEW DELHI, May 22: The Delhi High Court on Friday pulled up the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) for its decision to declare celebrated grappler Vinesh Phogat “ineligible” to participate in domestic events, and said it would pass an order on whether she can join the upcoming Asian Games selection trials.
A bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia observed that the WFI was denying the Olympian the opportunity to compete in the trials despite clearance from the international body, and the federation’s departure from the earlier practice of permitting the participation of reputed athletes based on past performance “speaks volumes”.
It stated that Phogat, who is seeking her return from a maternity break, is a wrestler of international repute and should not be “denounced” for becoming a mother.
The bench emphasised that motherhood is celebrated in the country, and the federation should not act with “vengeance”.
Even as the WFI counsel clarified that the selection criteria is not to the exclusion of new mothers and the issue in the present case arose from Phogat’s decision to retire, the court remarked that the consequence of the WFI policy was that she had been excluded.
Had she not become a mother, she would have participated and become eligible, the court said, adding that an athlete should concentrate on preparations, not litigation.
The Centre’s counsel submitted that if Phogat succeeds in the trials, the framework provided by the Sports Authority of India permits relaxation of the eligibility criteria to pave the way for her participation in the Asian Games.
The criteria for her participation in the selection trials, however, has to be relaxed by the WFI, the lawyer clarified.
He further said the trials could be conducted under the supervision of a technical team of WFI in the presence of independent observers nominated by the Centre and the Indian Olympic Association, and the entire exercise would be videographed.
The WFI counsel requested the court to list the matter on Monday and ask Phogat to make a representation to the federation.
“We will pass orders,” the bench, however, said.
The court was hearing Phogat’s appeal against a single-judge’s order of May 18 refusing her immediate relief on the issue of her participation in the selection trials on May 30-31 for this year’s Asian Games despite being declared “ineligible” by the WFI.
In her petition, Phogat challenged the WFI’s selection policy and circular, which limited eligibility for participation in the Asian Games trials only to medal winners of certain tournaments.
Phogat asserted that the “qualification window” chosen by WFI substantially overlapped with her notified sabbatical on account of pregnancy and post-partum recovery, which created a “closed and inflexible gate-keeping mechanism” that was arbitrary and discriminatory.
Phogat’s senior counsel on Friday urged the bench to grant her the opportunity to participate in the trials, contending that the show-cause notice issued to her on May 9, a day before her participation in a domestic event in Gonda, showed that “somebody is clutching at straws” to oust her.
The court expressed its displeasure at the show-cause notice claiming that Phogat’s disqualification in the Paris Olympics was a “national shame” and questioned why it should not be presumed that the WFI changed the selection criteria for her.
It also questioned why the 2024 Olympic episode was brought up in the show cause which was issued to her earlier this month.
“Was it a national shame? She was in the finals. How did the people of the country look at the event? Would you describe it as a national shame? Is that how you are serving the cause of wrestling in the country? What was the mood of the country at that time,” the court stated.
It further stated that the WFI’s selection policy was “absolutely retrograde” and asked if the Centre was taken into confidence when the WFI changed it.
“She became a mother in July 2025. We are in May. She is a wrestler of international repute. Why can’t it be presumed that you changed it (selection criteria) for her. Whatever may be the feud or dispute, why should the cause of sports suffer? Motherhood is celebrated in the country, should it come to the detriment of a person?” the court orally remarked.
“The change in circular says all. Don’t conduct yourself like this. This is not in the best interest of sports. Deviation from the earlier circular speaks volumes,” it added.
Earlier today, the court had orally asked the Centre to constitute an expert panel to evaluate Phogat after the government counsel submitted that the framework provided by the Sports Authority of India permits relaxation of eligibility criteria in certain cases.
Earlier this month, the WFI had declared Phogat ineligible to participate in domestic events till June 26, 2026, citing the mandatory six-month notice period linked to athletes retiring from retirement under anti-doping rules.
A defiant Phogat, however, showed up at the National Open Ranking Tournament in Gonda.
She had participated in the protest by women wrestlers in 2023 against alleged sexual harassment by WFI’s then-president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. In August 2024, she was disqualified from the 50kg category Olympic finals for being 100 gm overweight in the morning weigh-in.
