Delhi High Court Restores IOA Ad Hoc Panel Mandate For Wrestling Federation On Plea By Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat

The Delhi High Court on Friday restored the mandate of Indian Olympic Association's (IOA) ad hoc committee constituted for running the affairs of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) on a plea by celebrated wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik and her husband Satyawart Kadian. following the elections held in the federation in December. The court, in an interim order, said the IOA's decision to dissolve the ad hoc committee was incompatible with Union Sports Ministry's order suspending the WFI shortly after the December elections, while adding that until the suspension order is not recalled, it is necessary for the ad hoc committee to manage the federation's affairs.

Justice Sachin Datta turned down the petitioners' prayer to appoint a retired high court or Supreme Court judge as the administrator of WFI, and said it shall be open to the IOA to re-constitute the ad hoc committee.

"Since this court has concluded that the dissolution of the ad-hoc committee was unwarranted, it restores the mandate of the ad-hoc committee appointed by the IOA vide order dated 27.12.2023.

"However, it shall be open to IOA to reconstitute the ad-hoc committee so as to ensure that the same is a multi-member body comprising of eminent sportsperson/s and/or experts who are well-versed in dealing with the International Federations, so as to allay any concerns that the UWW (United World Wrestling-the world body for the sport) might have as regards the steps taken qua the WFI," the court held.

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, had moved the high court earlier