Vinesh Phogat: Court upset over WFI’s stand; Important observation of Delhi High Court in Vinesh Phogat case

• Court unhappy with WFI’s stand
• Observation of Delhi High Court in Vinesh Phogat case
• What did the court say?

The Delhi High Court has come down hard on the Wrestling Federation of India over its decision to disqualify Indian women’s wrestler Vinesh Phogat from domestic competitions. The court raised serious questions on the role of the federation during the hearing on Friday (22nd) and directed the central government to form an expert committee to study the matter.

RCB vs SRH: High-voltage match to be played in Hyderabad, battle for top-2; How will the pitch and possible playing 11 look like? find out

What did the court say?

Chief Justice D. K. A bench of Justice Upadhyay and Justice Tejas Karia said, ‘The ongoing dispute between the players and the association should not affect the game. Regardless of any differences, wrestling and the interests of the players should be paramount.’ During the hearing, the High Court criticized the WFI’s stand in strong terms and asked, ‘Earlier relief was given to international players, so why a different rule in Vinesh’s case?’ The court accepted that Vinesh Phogat is currently on maternity leave. But, it is important to consider the individual circumstances of the players as well as the interests of the sport and the country.

The court said, ‘Motherhood is respected in this country and no sports organization should act out of revenge.’ The court directed the central government to immediately set up a committee of experts to assess Vinesh Phogat’s fitness and return to competition. The court also said that Vinesh should be given an opportunity to participate in the trials of the upcoming Asian Games.

What exactly is the case?

The Wrestling Federation of India had declared Vinesh Phogat ineligible to compete in domestic competitions till June 2026. According to the federation, United World Wrestling is returning from retirement [ United World Wrestling (UWW)] and the International Testing Agency [International Testing Agency (ITA)] Its anti-doping rules require athletes to give six months’ notice. After this, Vinesh filed a petition in the Delhi High Court and said that the WFI’s decision was unfair.

Vinesh was disqualified by the federation

On May 18, a single bench of the High Court refused Vinesh Phogat to participate in the Asian Games selection trials on May 30 and 31. Meanwhile, the WFI recently issued a show-cause notice to Vinesh, disqualifying her from participating in domestic competitions till June 2026. Vinesh had challenged the notice, which was heard in the High Court today.

Controversy again after the Paris Olympics

Vinesh Phogat was disqualified from the Paris Olympics 2024 for not meeting the weight criteria before the women’s 50 kg final. After that she announced her retirement. But in December 2025, she announced a comeback for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

RCB vs SRH: Skipper Rajat Patidar ready to play against SRH? A big update has come out