4 min readUpdated: May 23, 2026 04:57 PM IST
The Delhi High Court has allowed Olympian wrestler Vinesh Phogat to participate in the selection trials for Asian Games 2026, scheduled to be held on May 30-31.
Phogat had been rendered ineligible to participate owing to the criteria set by the Wrestling Federation of India this year, in a departure from past eligibility criteria, and also owing to a showcause notice (SCN) by WFI on May 9, that barred Phogat from participating in any WFI events until June 26.
“it is necessary that (Phogat) is permitted to participate in the Selection Trials in the interest of sport and justice. In view of the peculiar facts and circumstances of this case, it is clear that except for (Phogat’s) motherhood and the SCN issued by WFI, she would be entitled to participate in the Selection Trials. Therefore, the circumstances were beyond her control…it is deemed appropriate to protect the interest of (Phogat) by permitting her to participate in the Selection Trials,” a division bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia held, while directing that the selection trial be video-recorded, and that the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports to nominate two independent observers from Sports Authority of India and Indian Olympic Association, who shall observe the Selection Trials for Asian Games, 2026 and submit a report to the court.
Phogat, who was on a break from December 2024 — which included a maternity break — has been permitted to participate in tournaments from January 1, 2026 by the international wrestling body even as WFI has barred her participation, and in a show cause notice, also accused her of indiscipline and terming her 2024 Paris Olympics as “national embarrassment” for failing to make weight.
The Delhi HC has now also observed that the “standard for Selection Trials, as adopted in the Policy and the Circular, marks significant deviation from the past practice,” where in the past, the Federation had the discretion to select iconic players for Asian Games without participating in the coaching to be eligible for the trials.
“…the Policy and the Circular are clearly exclusionary in nature as it does not give any discretion to (WFI) to consider iconic players like Phogat in view of the sabbatical taken on account of her maternity leave. It is well recognised principle of law that due to maternity, a woman cannot be prejudiced in any manner in terms of her employment, career, ranking and promotion during the period of maternity leave,” the division bench reiterated.
In an order on Friday, made public on Saturday, after a frantic week of uncertainty for Phogat, who had to approach the Delhi HC twice, a division bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Tejas Karia in clear terms, termed the WFI’s labelling of her Paris 2024 Olympics loss as “national embarrassment” as “deplorable”.
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“Such observations made in the SCN despite the Award issued by CAS, which clearly held that there was no wrongdoing on part of the (Phogat), appear to be pre-mediated and are ex-facie misconceived and ought to have been avoided. Such observations are retrograde and show the malafide intent of (WFI) by being vindictive against (Phogat),” the bench observed.
“In the present case, (Phogat’s) exclusion from the Selection Trials is directly attributable to the sabbatical and temporary retirement from her sporting activities. The duration of her maternity and recovery from the same coincided with the schedule of the Championships, which were required to be participated for meeting the eligibility criteria for the Selection Trials of the Asian Games, 2026 in accordance with the Policy and the Circular….(Phogat) had duly applied for sabbatical during 2025 and, therefore, could not participate in any championship or competition held in that year as (she) gave birth to her first child in July, 2025. (Phogat) had kept informed the ITA and UWW as well as SAI about her sabbatical and also received confirmation on 03.07.2025 that (she) would be eligible to compete from 01.01.2026 onwards,” the bench observed while granting her relief.
While the division bench disposed of her appeal, Phogat’s challenge to the WFI’s policy and circular, as well as the showcause notice remains pending before a single judge.
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