Delhi High Court pulled up the Wrestling Federation of India for declaring wrestler Vinesh Phogat ineligible after her maternity break, questioning fairness and deviation from norms. It directed the Centre to form an expert panel to assess her and ensure participation in Asian Games trials, stressing motherhood should not disadvantage athletes.
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Friday pulled up the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) for its decision to declare celebrated grappler Vinesh Phogat "ineligible" from participation in domestic events and asked the Centre to constitute an expert panel to evaluate her.
A bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia observed that the WFI's departure from the earlier practice of permitting the participation of reputed athletes "speaks volumes," and asked the Centre to ensure that Phogat, who is seeking her return from a maternity break, is allowed to participate in the upcoming Asian Games selection trials.
The bench emphasised that motherhood is celebrated in the country, and the federation should not act with "vengeance."
It asked the Centre to constitute an expert panel to evaluate Phogat after the government counsel submitted that the framework provided by the Sports Authority of India permits relaxation of eligibility criteria in certain cases.
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