The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has approached the Supreme Court challenging the Delhi High Court’s order permitting Olympian wrestler and Congress MLA Vinesh Phogat to participate in the selection trials for the 2026 Asian Games, scheduled to be held in Delhi on May 30 and 31.
The matter is slated to come up for hearing before a bench comprising Justice PS Narasimha and Justice Alok Aradhe on Friday. The selection trials will determine India’s wrestling contingent for the 2026 Asian Games to be held in Japan in September.
Earlier, on May 22, the Delhi High Court had granted interim relief to Phogat, allowing her to compete in the trials. The court had also directed that the entire selection process be video recorded and conducted under the supervision of independent observers appointed by the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to ensure transparency.
Reacting to the development, Wrestling Federation of Haryana president Ramesh Bohar defended the WFI’s decision to move the apex court, stating that the federation wanted to ensure fairness for wrestlers who had progressed through district, state, and national-level competitions.
“Sports function according to rules. No one can be granted direct entry, bypassing the established system. The federation has approached the Supreme Court to protect the interests of wrestlers,” Bohar said.
The relief granted to Phogat had come from a division bench of Delhi High Court comprising Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, which heard her appeal against an earlier interim order passed by a single-judge bench refusing immediate relief.
In her petition, Phogat challenged the WFI’s selection policy as well as a show-cause notice issued to her by the federation. The upcoming Supreme Court hearing is being closely watched as it could significantly impact the selection process for the Asian Games.
Phogat had last competed at the Paris Olympics in August 2024 in the women’s 50 kg category. She won three bouts in a single day, including a semifinal victory over a Cuban wrestler, before being disqualified ahead of the final after she was found to be 100 grams overweight during the weigh-in.
Following the heartbreak, she announced her retirement from wrestling on August 8, 2024. However, on December 12, 2025, Phogat declared that she was returning to the sport with the aim of competing at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. She currently serves as a Congress MLA from the Julana Assembly constituency in Haryana.
The WFI had earlier declared her ineligible to participate in domestic competitions until June 26, 2026, citing mandatory six-month notice requirements under anti-doping regulations for athletes returning from retirement. The federation also issued a show-cause notice accusing her of indiscipline and violations of anti-doping and federation rules.
According to the WFI, Phogat failed to provide six months’ prior notice before resuming competitive wrestling, allegedly violating provisions of the WFI constitution, United World Wrestling (UWW) regulations, and anti-doping norms. The federation further claimed that her conduct had harmed the image of Indian wrestling and sought her response to multiple charges while asking why disciplinary action should not be initiated against her.