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In the latest turn of events, the Delhi High Court on Tuesday, April 9 urged the Indian Sports Ministry to respond to the plea raised by the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) challenging its suspension. This comes after the centre had suspended the WFI on December 23, 2023, just days after it elected new office bearers.
Delhi High Court Justice Subramonium Prasad issued a notice to the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and sports and asked to file a reply to the petition within four weeks. Moreover, the court has listed the hearing for May 28 now. Earlier, senior advocate Dayan Krishnan, who represented WFI, submitted that a no show cause notice was issued to the wrestling body before indefinitely suspending it.
In his address to the court, Dayan Krishnan aid that the ministry’s decision violates the constitutional provisions of WFI as well as the National Sports Code. Earlier during the suspension, the government had cited “hasty announcement” of organising the U-15 and U-20 nationals “without following due procedure and not giving sufficient notice to wrestlers” to prepare.
Moreover, a coordinate bench of the High Court is scheduled to hear a plea of the four wrestlers, which includes Olympian Bajrang Punia on Wednesday, April 10. The four wrestlers had written seeking direction to the ministry to not revoke WFI’s suspension.
