Sports Ministry's suspension lift leads to disposal of WFI challenge in Delhi HC

New Delhi [India], March 11 (ANI): The Division Bench of Delhi High Court on Tuesday disposed of the Wrestling Federation of India's (WFI) appeal against the Single Judge's order challenging the reinstatement of the Ad-hoc Committee following Sports Ministry's March 10 order revocating WFI's suspension.
The court, led by Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyay, acknowledged the order by the Director of Sports, Ministry of Sports. The court noted that this order revoked WFI's 2023 suspension and reinstated its recognition as the national sports federation for wrestling.
In light of the March 10 order, the court disposed of the appeal and granted the concerned parties the right to challenge it before an appropriate forum if they find it objectionable.
Senior Advocate Jayant Mehta, representing the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, informed the Court about the March 10 order, stating that it had revoked the suspension of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) and restored its recognition with immediate effect. He explained that this decision was made after thorough consideration of the report from the Ministry's sports verification committee and the observations of the Court.
Additionally, he emphasised that the Ministry also took into account the urgent need to ensure the uninterrupted participation of Indian wrestlers in international events.
However, Senior Advocate Rahul Mehra, representing the wrestlers, expressed dissatisfaction with the decision, arguing that the formation of the Ad-hoc Committee was in clear violation of the Sports Code.
In response, the bench clarified that their immediate concern was ensuring the selection of the team and facilitating its participation in the upcoming Senior Asian Championships in Jordan.
In December, The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) had filed an appeal with the division bench of the Delhi High Court challenging a single judge's decision that reinstated the mandate of the ad-hoc committee appointed by the International Olympic Association(IOA) to oversee and manage the federation's affairs.
The Appellant/WFI challenged the impugned judgment dated August 16, passed by the Single Judge, which granted the IOA the liberty to restore or reconstitute the Ad-Hoc Committee to manage the day-to-day affairs of the WFI. (ANI)