In no uncertain terms, the court has had words with the WFI and told the Centre to make sure an independent group is in place to assess Phogat. “The sport must not be made collateral in any dispute,” the bench said, in what was a pointed critique of how the federation has been handling things of late.
What the court decided
So the government has been asked to form this committee to vouch for her spot in the trials. The court was also at odds with the federation’s line of thinking, noting that you can’t let the sport’s fortunes be derailed by internal squabbles.
Then there is the matter of Phogat coming back from maternity leave. The court made it plain that motherhood is something we hold in high regard here, and it called out the WFI for straying from its own history when it came to selections. Ruling her out of domestic events, as the federation did, was something the court was not having.
The court’s key directions were clear and time-sensitive:
– Form an expert committee to evaluate Phogat
– Ensure her participation in Asian Games selection trials
– Keep the sport’s interest central to all decisions
How the dispute escalated
It wasn’t always so open. On Monday, a bench under Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav turned down an interim plea from Phogat. Since she had already been put in the ineligibility column for home tournaments, the court saw no way to put her in the selection trials for May 30 and 31.
You have to go back to a WFI notice of May 9 to see where that ineligibility comes from. In it, the wrestler was accused of being undisciplined and of running afoul of anti-doping rules – or so they say. One of the issues was an alleged snub of the six-month notice period United World Wrestling requires of those who come out of retirement.
That same piece of paper kept her off the field for anything domestic, like the National Open Ranking, through June 26. The bench was aware of her time on leave but felt the national interest in the sport had to be part of the equation.
The selection policy under scrutiny
If you look at the WFI’s policy from February 25 and a circular of May 6, the bar is set for only the medallists of the 2025 Senior Nationals, the 2026 Federation Cup and the U-20 and U-23 championships to make the cut for the Asian Games, and only if those events are over before the trials.
The circular was blunt: don’t bring up past form. Put that with the ineligibility ruling and you have a closed door for Phogat, unless someone from the outside has a second look.
Why it matters
But this is about more than one person. The court is making a point that welfare and good governance should be front and centre in how we pick our athletes, particularly for a woman like Phogat. When the bench says that a sudden change in policy ‘speaks volumes’ and that we value motherhood, it is a signal to the federations to have their reasons in order.
For any wrestler whose career has to make room for life, this could well shape how things are done down the line. As for the WFI, it is a nudge to be fair and clear.
What comes next
Now it is up to the Centre to do as it is told and get the committee in place. The ball is in their court to make the practical arrangements so she can be in the ring for the trials while they do their work.
There are two dates in play: the ban on her for domestic shows until the 26th of June, and the trials in less than a week. How you put these orders into practice will tell if the court's wishes are met in time.
“Whatever may be the feud or dispute, why should the cause of wrestling suffer?” the court put it. That is the question for the government’s new committee to answer as they review both the case and the federation’s methods.
