New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday instructed the Wrestling Federation of India to deliver a final decision within two weeks regarding a show-cause notice issued to international wrestler Vinesh Phogat. The notice, which accuses the athlete of indiscipline and anti-doping rule violations, led the federation to initially declare her ineligible for domestic competitions. Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma disposed of Phogat’s petition after legal counsel for the federation confirmed that her initial grievance concerning her exclusion from the Asian Games selection trials had become infructuous.
The legal dispute stemmed from a May 9 directive in which the national wrestling body barred Phogat from domestic events until June 26, 2026. The federation defended its decision by citing a mandatory six-month notice period required under international anti-doping regulations for athletes returning to active competition from retirement. Counsel representing the federation informed the court that the governing body will provide Phogat with a formal personal hearing to present her defense before rendering its final decision on the disciplinary notice.
Phogat’s original petition also launched a broader challenge against the governing body’s restrictive selection policy and tournament circulars. The current criteria limited eligibility for the prestigious Asian Games selection trials exclusively to recent medal winners of specific domestic tournaments. Phogat argued that the chosen qualification window heavily overlapped with her approved sabbatical for pregnancy and postpartum recovery. She contended that the rigid gatekeeping mechanism was fundamentally arbitrary and discriminatory toward female athletes managing maternal health breaks.
While the athlete’s legal team asserted that the case raised significant systemic questions regarding fair selection procedures, the High Court clarified that these broader policy concerns could not be resolved under the current closed proceedings. The court noted that because previous judicial orders had already successfully secured Phogat’s participation in the selection trials, the immediate emergency had passed. Justice Sharma advised the legal team that any further challenges against the federation’s guidelines or the subsequent show-cause notice she received regarding her conduct during the trials would require the submission of a fresh writ petition.
