Wrestler Vinesh Phogat, along with fellow wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik, recently filed a writ petition with the Delhi High Court challenging the legality of the Wrestling Federation of India's (WFI) elections held in December 2023.

Justice Sachin Datta heard their petition and has scheduled the next hearing for September 12.

Senior Advocate Rahul Mehra, representing the petitioners, highlighted the urgency of the matter, pointing out that India had recently lost a gold medal. He also criticized the WFI's management, noting that its president was making critical decisions from the Olympic Village regarding Phogat.

Senior Advocate Mehra reiterated the need for swift action, emphasizing the national importance and public concern surrounding the issue.

In a related development, four lawyers in Paris have filed a protest appeal on behalf of Vinesh at the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) pro bono. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has requested more time to appoint a lawyer for this appeal, which will determine if Phogat should be awarded a joint silver medal. Former Solicitor General Harish Salve has agreed to represent Vinesh at CAS, with the hearing scheduled for August 9.

Under current rules, wrestlers must undergo two weigh-ins: one before the competition and another before the medal matches. Phogat competed in both the 50 kg and 53 kg weight categories at national trials prior to the Olympic qualifiers.

She had sought written confirmation from the ad-hoc committee about the timing of the trials to ensure their validity, but no such confirmation was provided before the committee was dissolved by the IOA on March 18.

Following the dissolution, the WFI announced that athletes who secured Olympic berths from international qualifiers would remain unchanged. Despite five wrestlers requesting exemptions from the trials, Phogat competed in Paris in the 50 kg category due to the lack of official trials.

Justice Purushaindra Kaurav previously instructed the respondents to complete their pleadings within a week and allowed time for the wrestlers to respond. After last year’s WFI elections, the Union sports ministry suspended the newly-elected executive committee led by Sanjay Singh, with the IOA appointing an ad-hoc committee to manage WFI’s operations.

Although the United World Wrestling (UWW) lifted WFI’s suspension in February, the Union sports ministry has maintained its suspension of WFI’s recognition and support.