The Punjab and Haryana High Court has issued notice to the Union of India on a petition seeking to set aside the executive committee elections of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI)’s held in December 2023.
Filed by famed wrestler Sangeeta Phogat and others, the petition said the executive committee elections were held in violation of the Constitution of the Federation, National Sports Development Code.
In July last year, the Supreme Court had lifted the stay imposed by the Gauhati High Court on elections to the executive committee of WFI.
The Bench of Justice Aniruddha Bose and Justice SV Bhatti issued notice on a plea by the Andhra Pradesh Amateur Wrestling Association.
The Apex Court also stayed the interim order passed by the High Court.
A special Sunday hearing was held in June 2023, where the High Court of Gauhati had stayed the elections while dealing with a case raising grievance over the alleged failure to affiliate the Assam Wrestling Association with the WFI, making the former not participate in the elections.
In the plea filed against this order, the Andhra Pradesh Amateur Wrestling Association apprised the Supreme Court that the elections were stayed by the High Court in a third party’s plea.
The counsel for the Association explained that the elections had to be rescheduled again, as the disputes between various states have since been resolved.
The Supreme Court issued notice in the matter and stayed the High Court’s interim order.
Justice Nani Tagia of the Gauhati High Court passed the interim order under challenge on June 25 directing the WFI not to proceed with the polls that were earlier scheduled to be held on July 11, while seeking the response of the WFI and the Union Sports Ministry in the matter.
It is interesting to note that while the case was heard yesterday another single-judge of the High Court, Justice Devashis Baruah, appeared to hold a different view on this matter.
Justice Baruah had orally remarked that how can there be a stay elections? What was this stay business of elections, this writ business? Why did the petitioner not go to the civil court? What were they doing in a writ court? Was the writ court easier?
We should have a witness box there. How do you take care of election? Whether it has taken place with formalities or not, how does it…Name some prominent wrestlers of Assam. This is an injunction type of thing. You do not have a case, you are lucky they (WFI) are not here.
The resolution to grant affiliation to the Assam Wrestling Association was passed in an executive committee meeting held in 2014 under the chairmanship of tainted former WFI Chief, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
Singh is currently accused of sexual harassment by various female wrestlers. After a criminal complaint was lodged by the Delhi Police in the matter, the Supreme Court recently closed the proceedings before it which had alleged police inaction in the case.