gave Delhi High Court has cleared the way for the famous Indian wrestler. Vinesh Phogat to participate in the selection trials for the upcoming Asian Games, observing that the current selection policy of the Wrestling Federation of India unfairly excludes elite athletes returning after maternity leave. A division bench comprising Chief Justice DK Upadhyay and Justice Tejas Karia directed that Phogat should be allowed to attend the trials on May 30 and 31. The court also ordered the Wrestling Federation of India to video-record the entire selection process, while independent observers from the Sports Authority of India and the Indian Olympic Association will follow. The appellant shall be allowed to participate in the selection trials. Asian Games2026, which are scheduled on 30.05.2026 and 31.05.2026,” the court said in its May 22 order, which was uploaded on Saturday. The bench also criticized the current WFI policy and said it lacked flexibility for players like Phogat who took time off from the game due to maternity leave. “The policy and circular are categorically exclusionary in nature as it does not give any discretion to respondent No. 1 (WFI) to consider popular athletes like the appellant in view of the leave taken on account of her maternity leave,” the court observed. The judges added that the reasons stated in the show cause notice issued to Phogat appear to be “pre-arbitration” and amount to reopening of matters that were already settled. Emphasizing the importance of fairness, the court remarked that allowing his participation was necessary “in the interest of sport and justice”. The order came after Phogat challenged the judgment of a single judge bench on May 18, which had earlier denied him immediate interim relief to attend the trials. Phogat, one of India’s most decorated wrestlers, last hit the headlines during the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, where she was heartbreakingly disqualified from the women’s 50kg freestyle final after being found 100g overweight in the morning weigh-in ahead of the gold medal event.
