Supreme Court Closes WFI Appeal In Vinesh Phogat Asian Games Trials Case

The Supreme Court on Thursday concluded proceedings in the Wrestling Federation of India’s (WFI) appeal against a Delhi High Court order that had permitted wrestler Vinesh Phogat to compete in the Asian Games 2026 selection trials.

The apex court observed that the issue no longer required adjudication as the trials had already taken place.

A Bench comprising Justices PS Narasimha and Aravind Kumar stated that the disposal of the petition did not validate the Delhi High Court’s remarks directed at the WFI.

The Bench remarked that subsequent developments had rendered the SLP infructuous. It clarified that the Court was not endorsing the High Court’s findings and observations and kept the issues open for future consideration.

Representing the WFI, senior advocate DN Goburdhun urged the court to remove certain comments made by the Delhi High Court.

The court included the remarks while granting interim relief to Phogat.

DN Goburdhun contended that the observations suggested possible mala fide conduct on the part of the federation.

According to him, these remarks could influence related proceedings that are still pending before the High Court.

Despite these arguments, the Supreme Court declined to strike down the disputed observations. Instead, it disposed of the appeal while keeping all legal issues open for future consideration.

In its interim order, the High Court observed that motherhood should not become a barrier to professional sporting opportunities. It also noted that the federation’s policy did not adequately account for maternity leave and post-partum recovery.

Although the Supreme Court allowed Phogat to compete in the trials held on 30 and 31 May, her comeback attempt did not succeed. She was unable to secure a place in the Indian squad for the 2026 Asian Games.

Competing in the women’s 53kg category at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, Phogat reached the semi-finals. She suffered a 4-6 defeat to Meenakshi Goyat and failed to qualify for the Aichi-Nagoya Games in Japan.

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