New Delh, March 4 (IANS) The Delhi High Court on Monday issued notice on petition by wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, and her husband Satyawart Kadian, seeking to annul and declare the recent Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) elections as illegal for violating the Sports Code.
Justice Sachin Datta, who heard the case, sought a response from the Centre through the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, the WFI and the federation’s Ad-Hoc Committee.
As Centre’s counsel sought time to seek instructions in the matter, the court listed the case for next hearing on March 7.
The petition argues that the elections conducted on December 21, 2023 were conducted in disregard of the Sports Code, and are urging the WFI to halt any activities related to the sport until the matter is resolved.
Citing the broader implications of the WFI’s actions, the petition notes that many athletes beyond the petitioners have suffered due to the federation’s practices, allegedly under the influence of its former President Brij Bhushan Singh.
Notably, the wrestlers were actively involved in the protest last year at Jantar Mantar, which called for the arrest of the then WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh over allegations of sexual harassment against several female grapplers.
The plea now accuses the WFI of attempting to silence and sideline protesting athletes, impacting their international participation prospects. Moreover, the petition calls for the Ad-Hoc committee to continue managing the WFI’s daily affairs or, alternatively, for the appointment of a retired Supreme Court judge to oversee the federation’s management.
The wrestlers have labelled the WFI a “habitual offender” for consistently ignoring directives from the Sports Ministry and the ad-hoc committee, actions they claim have significantly hindered the career growth of Indian wrestlers. Despite the Sports Ministry’s directive for the WFI to cease its management functions and refrain from conducting trials or national events, the federation allegedly persisted in organising unauthorised trials and events.
The petition seeks for the court to invalidate the December 21 elections, labelling them as fundamentally flawed and conducted in stark violation of the Sports Code.
–IANS
spr/vd
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by BhaskarLive.in and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of BhaskarLive.in We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, BhaskarLive.in takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.
Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.
If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.
