New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday questioned the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) over its failure to abide by an order regarding the re-constitution of an ad-hoc committee for running the affairs of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI).
Justice Sachin Datta, who orally disapproved of the IOA's plea seeking clarifications on the court's order passed on August 16, 2024, said it was a review petition in the guise of asking for clarifications.
The court, on August 16 last year, restored the mandate of the IOA's ad-hoc committee, constituted for running the WFI's affairs on a plea by celebrated wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik and her husband, Satyawart Kadian.
In the interim order, the court had said the IOA's decision to dissolve the ad-hoc committee was incompatible with the Union sports ministry's order suspending the WFI shortly after its December 2023 election. It had said until the suspension order is not recalled, it is necessary for the ad-hoc committee to manage the federation's affairs.
On Tuesday, the high court, after hearing the parties, reserved its decision on the plea filed by the IOA seeking a clarification on the August last year order. "It is a review in the guise of clarification. The order was passed on August 16, 2024 and it is already six months. In law today, the ad-hoc committee is in charge," the court said.
Justice Datta further said, "I have noticed one thing, the IOA has taken proactive steps in the National Games, it has appointed ad-hoc committees, then why is it so reluctant to do so here?"
The wrestlers, who were at the forefront of a 2023 protest at the Jantar Mantar, demanding the arrest of outgoing WFI chief and BJP leader Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh for the alleged sexual harassment of seven female grapplers, had moved the high court last year for setting aside and declaring as illegal the election held to choose the office-bearers of the federation.
Sanjay Singh, a Brij Bhushan loyalist, was elected the new WFI chief in the polls held on December 21, 2023.
The Centre had, however, suspended the WFI on December 24, 2023, three days after it elected the new office-bearers, for allegedly not following the provisions of its own constitution while taking decisions, and requested the IOA to constitute the ad-hoc committee to manage and control its affairs.
In February 2024, the UWW (United World Wrestling, the world body for the sport) lifted the WFI's suspension, prompting the IOA to also dissolve its ad-hoc committee on March 18.
In their application for interim relief in the matter, the petitioners had sought a stay on the functioning of the WFI in its present form and to prevent it from undertaking any activity as a national federation for the sport of wrestling.
