Delhi HC directs restoration of WFI’s ad hoc committee formed by IOA

The Delhi high court (HC) on Friday restored the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI)’s ad hoc committee by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), to control and manage the affairs of the federation.

“I’ve directed for restoration of the ad hoc committee by the IOA. It will be open to the IOA to reconstitute the committee,” a bench of justice Sachin Datta said while pronouncing the verdict.

On March 18, the IOA had dissolved the ad-hoc committee for wrestling, citing the lifting of the suspension on the national federation and successful completion of selection trials.

The high court passed the order while considering an application filed by four wrestlers including Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat seeking appointment of a one-man committee to take over the management, control and administration of the WFI.

The application was filed by the wrestlers in their petition to declare federation’s December 21, 2023, election as illegal. Besides seeking appointment of a committee, the wrestlers in the application had also sought directions to the Union sports ministry to not revoke WFI’s suspension during the pendency of its petition.

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The wrestlers application before the high court had stated that though WFI on March 7 had undertaken before the Delhi high court to withdraw its February 26 circular regarding selection trials for the Senior Asian Wrestling Championships 2024 and Asian Olympic Games Qualifier Wrestling Tournament in light of the trials which were also being conducted by WFIs ad hoc committee, it attempted to circumvent the spirit and intent behind passing of the order, by getting a letter issued through United World Wrestling (UWW) on March 8.

UWW in its March 8 letter addressed to Sanjay Singh had stated that the UWW considered Singh-led WFI as an affiliated federation and the registration of athletes and delegation in international competitions could only be made by the affiliated national federation.

Singh was elected the new WFI chief in the polls held on December 21, 2023.