Delhi HC closes Vinesh Phogat’s plea as infructuous, directs WFI to conclude disciplinary proceedings

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday directed the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) to take a decision within two weeks on the show-cause notice issued to wrestler Vinesh Phogat, while closing as infructuous her petition challenging exclusion from the Asian Games 2026 selection trials.

A single-judge Bench of Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma observed that the writ petition had become infructuous since Phogat had already been permitted to participate in the selection trials pursuant to earlier judicial orders.

Disposing of the petition, the Delhi High Court directed the WFI to take a decision on the show-cause notice issued to Phogat on May 9 within two weeks and place the outcome on record after communicating it to both the wrestler and the court.

The federation also assured Justice Sharma that Phogat would be granted a personal hearing before any final decision is taken in the disciplinary proceedings.

During the hearing, counsel appearing for Phogat argued that the petition also raised larger issues concerning the WFI’s selection policy.

However, the Delhi High Court observed that such issues would require an independent challenge and said the present proceedings could be disposed of, leaving it open to the wrestler to file a fresh writ petition.

In its order, Justice Sharma recorded that since Phogat had already participated in the selection trials, her challenge to the denial of participation no longer survived for adjudication.

The dispute originated after a single-judge Bench had earlier declined to grant interim permission to Phogat to participate in the May 30-31 Asian Games selection trials without first hearing the WFI.

At the same time, Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav had directed the federation to take the disciplinary proceedings initiated against the wrestler to their logical conclusion and place its decision on record before the next date of hearing.

Phogat subsequently approached a Division Bench of the Delhi High Court, which permitted her to participate in the selection trials, observing that motherhood could not be treated as a ground for excluding a woman athlete from professional opportunities.

A Division Bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia had also questioned the WFI’s revised eligibility criteria and directed that the selection process be video-recorded under the supervision of independent observers.

The WFI challenged that interim order before the Supreme Court. While allowing the selection trials to proceed, the apex court expressed reservations over certain observations made by the Delhi High Court at the interim stage.

Subsequently, after the completion of the selection trials, the Supreme Court disposed of the federation’s Special Leave Petition (SLP) as infructuous, clarifying that its order should not be construed as affirming the Delhi High Court’s observations against the WFI and keeping all issues open.

Phogat’s comeback bid ended at the Asian Games selection trials held on May 30 and 31 at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi, where she lost 4-6 to Meenakshi Goyat in the women’s 53kg semifinals and failed to secure qualification for the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.

The dispute arose after the WFI issued a 15-page show-cause notice to the three-time Olympian on May 9, alleging multiple acts of indiscipline, anti-doping violations and breaches of international wrestling regulations.

The federation had also declared her ineligible to participate in WFI-sanctioned competitions until June 26, prompting her to challenge both the disciplinary action and the revised eligibility criteria for the Asian Games selection trials.

IANS