Delhi High Court Slams WFI, Calls Vinesh Phogat Ban ‘Vengeance’ Against a New Mother
Court orders Centre to form expert panel; demands Olympian be allowed to compete in Asian Games trials as WFI faces rare judicial rebuke
The Delhi High Court on Friday delivered a sharp reprimand to the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) over its decision to bar star wrestler Vinesh Phogat from domestic competition, calling the move an act of institutional spite against a woman who had just become a mother.
A bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia pulled up the WFI for declaring the celebrated grappler “ineligible” from participation in domestic events, and asked the Centre to constitute an expert panel to evaluate her.
The WFI had deemed Phogat ineligible to compete until June 26, 2026, citing a mandatory six-month notice period under anti-doping rules applicable to athletes returning from retirement. She was denied entry into the National Open Ranking Tournament in Gonda on these grounds.
The court did not mince words. The bench observed that the WFI’s departure from its earlier practice of permitting reputed athletes to participate “speaks volumes,” and asked the Centre to ensure that Phogat — who is seeking her return from a maternity break — is allowed to compete in the upcoming Asian Games selection trials.
The court pointedly noted that Phogat became a mother in July 2025, and was declared ineligible in May 2026 — barely ten months later. It questioned why motherhood should come to the detriment of a person, stressing that it is celebrated across the country. The bench warned that the federation should not be seen as acting with “vengeance.”
The court was hearing Phogat’s appeal against a single-judge order of May 18 that had refused her immediate relief, following which she sought permission to participate in the selection trials scheduled for May 30–31 for this year’s Asian Games.
The bench asked the Centre to constitute an expert panel to evaluate Phogat after the government counsel submitted that the framework provided by the Sports Authority of India permits relaxation of eligibility criteria in certain cases.
The controversy is set against a turbulent few years for the Haryana-born wrestler. Phogat had been among the women wrestlers who protested in 2023 against alleged sexual harassment by WFI’s then-president Brijbhushan Sharan Singh. In August 2024, she was disqualified from the Paris Olympics 50kg category final for being 100 grams overweight in the morning weigh-in — a heartbreak that led to her announcing retirement before she chose to return to the mat.
With the Asian Games trials just days away, Friday’s hearing represents a pivotal moment — not just for Phogat, but for the broader question of how Indian sports bodies treat elite athletes who dare to take on the establishment.
