Delhi High Court rules WFI lacks jurisdiction to conduct Wrestling Trials

The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), led by Sanjay Singh, agreed to cancel its selection trials for the 2024 Senior World Wrestling Championship. This decision came after the Delhi High Court criticized WFI for ignoring its previous orders. The court had earlier restored the authority of an ad-hoc committee to manage the selection of athletes, a role WFI attempted to bypass.

Court restores ad-hoc committee's role

On August 16, the court gave power back to an ad-hoc committee, which was originally set up by the International Olympic Association (IOA). This committee was tasked with managing WFI's affairs after its leadership had been suspended. Despite this, WFI issued a circular on September 24, trying to hold selection trials independently. This move led to wrestler Satyawart Kadian filing a contempt petition, accusing WFI of violating the court’s orders and risking fairness in the selection process.

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High Court's reprimand and WFI's response

Justice Prateek Jalan reprimanded WFI for disregarding the court’s earlier decision. He emphasized that the elected WFI committee had no authority to conduct the trials and that this power lies solely with the ad-hoc committee. The court stressed that court orders cannot be ignored and told WFI to comply.

WFI’s lawyer, representing Sanjay Singh, confirmed in court that the controversial circular would be withdrawn and that WFI would not interfere with the ad-hoc committee’s responsibilities again. This statement ended the contempt petition, allowing the ad-hoc committee to proceed with the selection of wrestlers for upcoming international events.

This case highlights the tension between the WFI leadership and the judicially appointed ad-hoc committee, with concerns about fairness and transparency in selecting athletes for major competitions.