WFI challenges in Delhi HC order restoring mandate of IOA's ad-hoc panel

The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) approached the Delhi High Court on Thursday, challenging an order granting liberty to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to reconstitute an ad-hoc panel for running the federation's affairs.

The appeal came up before a bench of Acting Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, which listed it for hearing on December 18 as the lawyer for one of the parties was not available on Thursday.

The WFI has challenged the August 16 interim order of a single-judge bench of the court that said the IOA's decision to dissolve the ad-hoc committee was incompatible with the sports ministry's order suspending the WFI shortly after its elections in December last year.

The single judge had said until the suspension order was recalled, it was necessary for the ad-hoc committee to manage the federation's affairs.

The order had come on a plea moved by celebrated wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik and her husband, Satyawart Kadian.

As an interim relief, the WFI has sought a direction to stay the August 16 order till the pendency of the proceedings.

"The single judge failed to appreciate that there is no challenge made by the writ petitioners to the dissolution of the ad-hoc committee by the IOA in the writ petition," the appeal says.

The wrestlers, who were at the forefront of last year's protest at Jantar Mantar demanding the arrest of outgoing WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh for alleged sexual harassment of seven women grapplers, moved the high court earlier this year for setting aside and declaring as illegal the elections held to elect the office-bearers of the federation in December 2023.

Sanjay Singh, a Brij Bhushan loyalist, was elected as the new WFI chief in the polls held on December 21, 2023.

The Centre, however, suspended the WFI on December 24, 2023, three days after it elected the new office-bearers, for allegedly not following the provisions of its own constitution while taking decisions, and requested the IOA to constitute an ad-hoc committee to manage and control its affairs.

In February, the United World Wrestling (UWW) lifted the suspension of the WFI, prompting the IOA to dissolve the ad-hoc panel on March 18.

In their application for interim relief in the matter, the petitioners had sought a stay on the functioning of the WFI in its present form and a direction to prevent it from undertaking any activity as a national federation for the sport of wrestling.