Suspension Of Wrestling Federation Of India Revoked: Centre Tells Delhi High Court

The Central Government on Tuesday informed the Delhi High Court that the suspension of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) by the Union Sports Ministry on December 24, 2023, has been revoked.

An order to the said effect was passed by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports on March 10. Vide the said order, the Centre has restored the recognition of WFI as a national sports federation for wrestling.

The order was placed today before a division bench comprising Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela which disposed of an appeal filed by WFI against a single judge order passed on August 16 last year.

Vide the impugned order, the single judge had restored the mandate of the ad-hoc committee appointed by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on December 27, 2023, for overseeing and taking over all the activities and management of WFI.

In appeal, WFI argued that neither the Ad-hoc Committee which was ordered to be restored by the Single Judge nor the Federation was in a position to make preparations and send national team to Senior Asian Championships which is to commence from March 23 at Amman, Jordan.

On March 06, the Union Government counsel stated that the government was in the process of reviewing the order suspending the WFI.

Disposing of WFI's appeal, the division bench today noted that the single judge had clarified that the ad-hoc committee shall continue to act as such, only till such time as the suspension order of the Central Government was in force. It further noted that the single judge had directed that it shall be open to the Centre to withdraw or review the said order, if circumstances so warrant.

“Thus, the continuance of the ad hoc committee in terms of the order passed by the single judge was only till the order of suspension was revoked,” the Bench noted.

It said: “In view of the order passed (by Central Government) on March 10, nothing needs to be adjudicated in the instance LPA which is disposed of with a request to the single judge to expedite proceedings in the writ petition pending before it and to conclude the same as early as possible.”

The petition before the single judge was moved by wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik and Satyawrat Kadiyan. They sought a direction on the Union Government to not revoke the suspension of WFI.

Title: WRESTLING FEDERATION OF INDIA THROUGH ITS PRESIDENT MR. SANJAY SINGH v. UNION OF INDIA THROUGH SECRETARY MINISTRY OF YOUTH AFFAIRS AND SPORTS & ORS. 

Citation: 2025 LiveLaw (Del) 305