Delhi HC Reserves Order On Plea Against Asian Games Trials Exemption To Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia

The Delhi High Court on Friday stated that it is all set to deliver its decision on July 22 on a challenge to the exemption granted to top wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia into Asian Games trials.

The petition filed by Antim Panghal, Under-20 World Champion, and Sujeet Kalkal, Under-23 Asian Champion, argues for a fair selection process for the quadrennial event.

Justice Subramonium Prasad, presiding over the case, reserved the verdict during the proceedings, emphasizing that the court’s aim is to assess whether the proper selection process was followed, rather than determining who is better.

The judge stated during the proceedings that, “The endeavour of the court is not to find who is better. The endeavor is to see whether the process has been followed or not.”

The Indian Olympic Association’s ad-hoc committee granted Phogat (53kg) and Punia (65kg) direct entries for the Asian Games, while other wrestlers must secure their spots in the Indian squad through selection trials scheduled for July 22 and 23.

Panghal and Kalkal’s petition, represented by advocates Hrishikesh Baruah and Akshay Kumar, seeks to quash the directive issued by the IOA ad-hoc committee in relation to the two categories (men’s freestyle 65kg and women’s 53kg) and set aside the exemption given to Phogat and Punia.

Baruah challenged the decision on multiple grounds, citing that the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) withdrawn the provision for exempting sportspersons in August 2022. However, the counsel representing the ad-hoc panel refuted this claim, stating that such a decision is not documented, and the court requested an affidavit in support of their stance.

Earlier, the court directed the ad-hoc panel overseeing the WFI’s affairs to provide reasons for exempting Phogat and Punia from the Asian Games trials.