Delhi High Court Refuses to Interfere With Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia’s Exemption from Asian Games Trials

The Olympic bronze medalist Bajrang Punia and Commonwealth Games gold medalist Vinesh Phogat were exempted from the Asian Games trials on Saturday, and the Delhi High Court declined to intercede.

Justice Subramonium Prasad, who presided over the session, rejected the plea filed by Under-20 World Champion Antim Panghal and Under-23 Asian Champion Sujeet Kalkal challenging the direct entrance granted to Phogat and Punia to compete in the competition.

The court said, “Writ petition is dismissed.”

The Indian Olympic Association’s ad hoc committee on Tuesday granted Phogat and Punia immediate entrance for the Asian Games, while other wrestlers would need to earn their spots in the Indian team via selection trials on July 22 and 23.

On July 19, Panghal and Kalkal filed a petition with the high court to contest the exemption and seek a fair selection procedure for the four-year highlight event.

It was said that the decision to provide exemptions to Phogat in the 53 kg category and Punia in the 65 kg category did not have widespread support in the wrestling community. The young wrestlers demanded that their issues be heard.

Advocates Hrishikesh Baruah and Akshay Kumar filed the appeal, which sought that the IOA ad-hoc committee’s ruling regarding the two categories (men’s freestyle 65 kg and women’s 53 kg) be overturned and that the exemptions given to Phogat and Punia be revoked.

The protest against former WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh over the groping of many female wrestlers was led by Phogat and Punia, two of the best wrestlers in the country.

The nation’s best wrestlers kicked up the agitation early in the year, but it was put on hold while negotiations with government representatives were taking place to come to a peaceful conclusion.

However, when a police officer refused to lodge a case against Brij Bhushan, 66, and the court had to step in and order the police to lodge the FIRs, the wrestlers continued their protest. General bail was been granted to Brij Bhushan.