Delhi HC seeks WFI stand on challenge to Asian Games trial exemption to wrestlers Vinesh, Bajrang

The Delhi High Court on Thursday asked the ad-hoc panel running the affairs of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) to state before it the reasons for exempting top wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia from the Asian Games trials.

Justice Subramonium Prasad, while hearing a petition by Under-20 World Champion Antim Panghal and Under-23 Asian Champion Sujeet Kalkal against the direct entry granted to Phogat and Punia, asked the sports body to file its response during the day.

”If it (basis for selection) is just, fair and reasonable, it is the end of the matter,” said the judge as he listed the matter for further hearing on Friday.

The court also asked for the laurels won by the two athletes, who have been selected automatically, to be shown to it. During the hearing, the court asked the counsel for the ad-hoc WFI panel to state what was the basis for the selection besides Phogat and Punia being good sportspersons as the entire case of the petitioners was that there has to be some kind of trial before selection.

”The petitioners do not doubt the merit of the two wrestlers whom you have selected to represent the country…but what they are saying is that past performance alone can’t be the basis of selection,” the court said. ”What is the basis for selecting people other than the fact that they are good sportsmen, have you done any kind of a selection process?” it asked. Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma, appearing for the Centre, informed the court that the the selection policy itself provides for an exemption to certain category of players. Advocate Anil Soni also appeared for the central government.

According to WFI guidelines, the selection trials in all weight categories are mandatory. However, the selection committee will have the discretion to select the iconic players like medallists of Olympic/World Championship without trial provided it has been recommended by by the Chief Coach/Foreign Expert.

Counsel for the petitioners said the selection of Phogat and Punia was not in consonance with the exemption policy.

The petitioners have claimed there are no foreign experts and the decision to exempt Punia and Phogat has been taken without any recommendations from the chief coaches.

Phogat (53kg) and Punia (65kg) were given direct entry for the Asian Games by the Indian Olympic Association’s ad-hoc committee on Tuesday, while other wrestlers will have to earn their places in the Indian squad through selection trials on July 22 and 23.

Panghal and Kalkal challenged the exemption before the high court and demanded a fair selection process for the quadrennial showpiece event.

The petition, moved by advocates Hrishikesh Baruah and Akshay Kumar, demanded that the directive issued by the IOA ad-hoc committee with regard to the two categories (men’s freestyle 65kg and women’s 53kg) be quashed and the exemption granted to Phogat and Punia set aside.

Olympic bronze medallist Punia is currently training in Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan. Phogat, who won the 2018 Asian Games gold medal, is training in Budapest, Hungary.

Both of them were at the forefront of the wrestlers’ protest at Jantar Mantar demanding the arrest of outgoing WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh for the alleged sexual harassment of seven women grapplers.

The two top grapplers, along with the four other protesting wrestlers — 2016 Rio Olympic medallist Sakshi Malik, her husband Satyawart Kadian, Sangeeta Phogat and Jitender Kinha — had sought time till August 10 to prepare for the Asian Games and World Championships trials. In the petition, Antim Panghal and Sujeet Kalkal said while they have ”been working really hard to clinch their position”, Phogat and Punia have not participated in any competition this year and were also not part of the national camp.

They last competed in the Commonwealth Games 2022 and World Championships 2022, said the plea, adding the selection of athletes for an international event without any trial is unfair and discriminatory against other athletes of the same event”.

”Fair opportunity should be granted to the Petitioners and trial should be conducted to decide the selection of Athletes for participation in the Asian Games and no exemption should be granted to any Athlete,” the petition added. ”Petitioners are aggrieved by the ‘Directive for Asian Games 2022 Trials’ issued by the Respondent No. 2 (WFI) which categorically states that as per the WFI Regulations of Selection Trials, the Selection Committee has already selected wrestlers in 65 Kg (Free Style) and 53 Kg (Women Wrestling) for Asian Games 2022. It further provides that the trial for the said two weight categories will be held and the selected wrestlers will be kept on stand-by,” it added. The petition prayed that the trials should be held in a fair manner under the supervision of WFI qualified referees, umpires and officials, and the whole process should be videographed.