New Delhi, May 29 (H.S.): The Supreme Court of India has permitted women’s wrestler Vinesh Phogat to participate in the Asian Games selection trials scheduled to begin on May 30. A Bench headed by Justice P.S. Narasimha stated that it would not interfere with the order passed by the Delhi High Court.

While granting permission to Vinesh Phogat to compete in the selection trials for the Asian Games, the apex court also expressed concern over her missing a doping test and allegedly keeping the Wrestling Federation of India uninformed about her whereabouts.

The court observed that Vinesh Phogat is “not an ordinary athlete,” and noted that on December 14, 2024, she had taken leave stating that she would resume participation in August 2025. The Bench further remarked that on June 3, 2025, she informed authorities that her leave had ended and that she would return to competition. Subsequently, in July 2025, she became a mother.

It is noteworthy that on May 22, the Delhi High Court had allowed Vinesh Phogat to participate in the Asian Games selection trials. A Bench headed by Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya had observed that the decision of the Wrestling Federation of India appeared retaliatory in nature.

The High Court had stated that Vinesh Phogat could not fulfil the eligibility criteria under the federation’s selection policy due to maternity leave. The court emphasized that motherhood cannot be a ground to exclude a woman athlete such as Phogat. The High Court had also criticized the federation for issuing a show-cause notice to her, remarking that the notice appeared to be motivated by vengeance. The court further observed that the language used in the notice by the federation was inappropriate and could have been avoided.

In fact, Vinesh Phogat had challenged before a Division Bench the earlier order passed by a Single Judge Bench of the High Court. On May 18, the Single Judge Bench had refused to grant her any relief.

The Wrestling Federation of India had denied Vinesh Phogat permission to participate in the selection trials, arguing that the trials were restricted to winners of the 2025 Senior National Championship, the 2026 Federation Cup, and the Under-20 National Championship. According to the federation, Phogat had not won any of these competitions.

Following the 2024 Olympics, Vinesh Phogat had announced her retirement from wrestling. However, she returned to the sport in December 2025.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar