Vinesh Phogat denied relief by Delhi High Court, out of World Championship trials
Delhi High Court refused Vinesh Phogat interim relief, ruling her out of the September 14 selection trials for the World Wrestling Championship
Wrestler Vinesh Phogat has suffered a setback in the Delhi High Court and will not be able to take part in the selection trials for the senior World Wrestling Championship to be held in Delhi on September 14. The court has clearly refused to grant her interim relief to join the trials. On Thursday night, Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma dismissed Vinesh's plea seeking interim relief.
In its order, the court made clear that the conditions laid down in the September 7, 2026 circular will apply equally to all players. If a player does not participate in the specified competitions, they do not fall within the qualification category set by the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI). The ruling is a major blow to Vinesh, who has been trying to make a comeback in international wrestling.
Vinesh had challenged the new selection rules in court. A circular was issued on September 7 for the trials for the 2026 senior World Wrestling Championship. According to these rules, only players who won medals in the specified competitions, took part in the National Training Camp, and were selected for the 2026 U20 World Championship would be considered eligible. Vinesh had approached the court seeking a chance in the trials. Her argument was that she could not take part in some competitions because of pregnancy, delivery and the subsequent recovery of her health. She also said that after WFI sent her a show-cause notice seeking to disqualify her, it stopped her from taking part in the Senior Open Ranking competition held in Gonda.
The Delhi High Court said in its order, "It is extremely important for the country to ensure that the selection of the country's representatives happens through a process that is fair, uniform and based on performance."
The court also noted that earlier, in May, a bench of the High Court had allowed Phogat to take part in the selection trials for the Asian Games. A show-cause notice over alleged misconduct during those trials is still pending. Citing Justice Sharma, it was stated that WFI's new qualification rules apply equally to all players and were not framed specifically to target Phogat. All eyes are now on what step Vinesh Phogat takes next.
