Delhi High Court dismisses petition against Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia's exemption from Asian Games trials

The Delhi High Court on Saturday struck down the petition filed by wrestlers Antim Panghal and Sujeet Kalkal against the exemptions from Asian Games trials given to Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia.

“Writ petition is dismissed,” said Justice Subramonium Prasad as the  Delhi High Court refused to interfere in the matter, according to Bar and Bench.

A detailed copy of the order is awaited.

The IOA ad-hoc panel’s decision to award direct entry to Olympic medallist Punia and world championships medallist Phogat into the Asian Games by exempting them from trials has created quite the stir in recent weeks.

Apart from Panghal and Kalkal filing the petition at the Delhi High Court, several wrestlers and their parents protested at the venue for the trials in New Delhi. As a result of the protests, the trials at the Indira Gandhi Stadium in the national capital will go ahead behind closed doors.

Phogat (53kg) and Punia (65kg) were given direct entry for the Asian Games by the IOA’s ad-hoc committee on Tuesday, while other wrestlers will have to earn their places in the Indian squad through selection trials on 22 and 23 July.

“They (Vinesh and Bajrang) don’t need to participate in the trials, they are under training and they will directly participate in the Asian Games,” Indian Olympic Association (IOA) lawyer Vikas Singh said, according to PTI.

Panghal and Kalkal moved the high court on 19 July challenging the exemption and demanded a fair selection process for the quadrennial showpiece event.

The petition, moved by advocates Hrishikesh Baruah and Akshay Kumar, had demanded that the directive issued by the IOA ad-hoc committee with regard to the two categories (men’s freestyle 65kg and women’s 53kg) be quashed and the exemption granted to Phogat and Punia set aside.

With inputs from PTI