New Delhi, May 22 (H.S.): A Division Bench of the Delhi High Court strongly criticised the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) for declaring women’s wrestler Vinesh Phogat ineligible to participate in national competitions. The bench, headed by Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya, directed the Central Government to constitute a committee of experts to assess Phogat’s return to competitive wrestling.

The court also instructed the Centre to ensure that Vinesh Phogat is permitted to participate in the Asian Games selection trials scheduled for May 30 and 31.

During the hearing, the court questioned the WFI’s decision and remarked whether motherhood could ever be considered a disadvantage in sports. The bench observed that motherhood is celebrated in the country and expressed concern over the federation’s departure from its earlier practice of allowing distinguished athletes to compete by overlooking certain eligibility concerns.

The court remarked, “The change in the earlier circular says a lot. Do not run the Wrestling Federation of India in this manner. It is not in the interest of the sport.”

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

The bench of Justice Purushindra Kumar Kaurav had directed Phogat to submit a detailed response to the show-cause notice issued by the WFI. The court had also instructed the federation to take a final decision on the notice by July 6.

Vinesh Phogat had filed a petition challenging the WFI’s decision to exclude her from the Asian Games selection trials. Senior advocate Rajshekhar Rao, appearing on her behalf, argued that the matter involved issues beyond what was immediately visible.

Rao urged the court to permit Phogat to participate in the selection trials, which are scheduled to commence on May 30. However, the court declined the request at that stage and directed her to first respond to the WFI’s notice, while simultaneously instructing the federation to conclude proceedings in the matter by July 6.

The WFI had barred Phogat from participating in the selection trials, stating that the trials were open only 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 those competitions.

Phogat had announced her retirement from wrestling following the 2024 Olympics but later returned to the sport in December 2025.

The federation had also issued a show-cause notice to her over allegations of indiscipline, violation of anti-doping regulations, and failure to comply with mandatory rules governing a return to competition after retirement.

According to the WFI, an athlete is required to provide six months’ prior notice before making a comeback, which Phogat allegedly failed to do. The federation further referred to her disqualification at the 2024 Olympics due to excess weight, claiming that the incident had caused embarrassment to the country.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar