The Supreme Court on Tuesday paved the way for elections to be held to the executive committee of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) by removing the stay imposed by the High Court of Punjab and Haryana. This may lead to United World Wrestling, the sport’s world body, revoking its decision to derecognise WFI. That, in turn, would allow Indian wrestlers to compete under the tricolour again.
A bench comprising Justice Abhay S Oka and Justice Pankaj Mithal allowed the Returning Officer to proceed with the election process, stalled since August this year. It said elections could be held, subject to the outcome of the writ petition being heard by the Punjab and Haryana High Court against a decision of Justice (retd.) MM Kumar, the Returning Officer.
Aggrieved that the Returning Officer had on July 21 picked Haryana Amateur Wrestling Association to be a part of the electoral college, the Haryana Wrestling Association moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court for relief. On August 11, a day before the elections, Justice Vinod S Bhardwaj stayed the elections to the WFI executive committee.
WFI has been in the news for the wrong reasons after leading wrestlers alleged sexual and other harassment by the WFI President and some others. In April 2023, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports put the WFI elections, set for May 7, on hold and asked the Indian Olympic Association to form an Ad Hoc Committee to take over the conduct of WFI’s day-to-day affairs,
IOA announced July 4 as the date for WFI elections to be held. It then shifted it back by a week to July 11. However, on June 25, acting on a writ petition by the Assam Wrestling Association, the Gauhati High Court stayed the WFI election. But, on July 18, when the Andhra Pradesh Wrestling Association moved the Supreme Court, it vacated the stay ordered by the High Court.
Significantly, besides the Andhra Pradesh Wrestling Association which went to the Supreme Court against the stay order of the Punjab & Haryana High Court, the Ad Hoc Committee appointed by the Indian Olympic Association also appealed for the setting aside the stay. It is an indication that IOA too wanted to have a democratically elected executive body in place sooner than later.
India won a silver and five bronze medals in wrestling at the Asian Games.