New Delhi, Sep 11 (IANS): The Delhi High Court has declined to grant immediate relief to three-time Olympian wrestler Vinesh Phogat, who had sought permission to participate in the selection trials for the 2026 Senior World Wrestling Championships scheduled to be held in Kazakhstan.
A single-judge Bench of Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma on Thursday refused to grant an interim exemption to Phogat from the eligibility criteria prescribed by the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) for the selection trials, observing that the criteria applied uniformly to all athletes and could not be relaxed in favour of the petitioner alone at this stage.
Phogat had sought a direction to the WFI to provisionally include her in the eligibility pool and permit her to participate in the women’s selection trials scheduled for September 14 at the Indira Gandhi Stadium in New Delhi.
The High Court observed that while Phogat’s maternity-related absence would be considered while examining the validity and application of the WFI’s selection framework, the circumstances did not, at the interim stage, entitle her to participate contrary to the prescribed eligibility criteria.
“At this interim stage, therefore, this Court is of the view that the eligibility criteria applicable to all athletes ought not to be relaxed in favour of the petitioner alone, particularly when such relaxation may have consequences for other similarly situated athletes who are not before this Court,” Justice Sharma said.
The judgement recorded that the WFI’s September 7 circular prescribing eligibility criteria for the 2026 Senior World Wrestling Championships was not framed specifically against Phogat and was applicable uniformly to athletes seeking to participate in the selection trials.
“Permitting the petitioner to participate by granting her a special dispensation, therefore, would not only be unfair to other athletes across the country who may have a similar grievance against the policy but are not before this Court, but would also have the effect of opening a Pandora’s box, with other athletes seeking similar exceptions from the prescribed eligibility criteria,” the Delhi High Court ruled.
It added that such a direction could not be issued without first examining and adjudicating upon the validity of the selection policy itself.
Phogat, through senior advocate Rajshekhar Rao, had argued that the latest eligibility framework perpetuated an exclusionary system by making participation dependent on specified qualifying competitions, without providing any mechanism for athletes returning to competitive sport after pregnancy, childbirth and post-partum recovery.
However, Justice Sharma made it clear that the broader issue would require detailed consideration at the stage of final adjudication and observed, “The broader question as to whether a selection policy ought to provide an appropriate mechanism for athletes returning to competitive sport after pregnancy and childbirth, and whether the absence of such a mechanism renders the policy arbitrary or discriminatory, would also require detailed consideration at the stage of final adjudication of the writ petition.”
Phogat had remained away from active competition during 2024-25 due to pregnancy, childbirth and post-partum recovery.
The judgment recorded that the International Testing Agency, acting on behalf of United World Wrestling, had confirmed in July 2025 that she would be eligible to compete from January 1, 2026.
She had earlier challenged her exclusion from the Asian Games selection process before the Delhi High Court. A Division Bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia had subsequently permitted her to participate in the Asian Games Selection Trials held on May 30, observing prima facie that motherhood could not operate to prejudice a woman in her career.
Phogat participated in the trials in the 53 kg category and reached the semi-final but was not ultimately selected for the Asian Games.
The single-judge Bench noted that the earlier interim relief granted by the Division Bench was in the context of the then prevailing Asian Games Selection Policy and the first show-cause notice issued against Phogat, and could not be construed as granting her a general or continuing exemption from eligibility requirements for subsequent competitions.
The High Court also noted that the WFI had issued a second show-cause notice against Phogat on June 17 concerning alleged misconduct during the very selection trials in which she had been permitted to participate.
“Without expressing any final opinion on the validity of the Circular dated 07.09.2026 or on the merits of the pending disciplinary proceedings, this Court is not inclined to grant the interim relief sought by the petitioner at this stage,” Justice Sharma said, dismissing Phogat’s application seeking permission to participate in the September 14 selection trials.
The main writ petition, challenging the WFI’s selection and disciplinary framework and seeking a fair, transparent and structured mechanism for women athletes returning to competitive sport after pregnancy and childbirth, will be heard next on September 29.
