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Delhi HC denied Vinesh Phogat’s plea to participate in 2026 Senior World Championships selection trials, citing uniform eligibility criteria.
Vinesh Phogat has also filed another petition seeking quashing of two show cause notices issued by the WFI. (PTI Photo)
Vinesh Phogat’s hopes of taking part in the upcoming selection trials for the 2026 Senior World Wrestling Championships have suffered a major jolt after the Delhi High Court denied her interim exemption. Phogat had filed a petition that she be allowed the take part in the trials citing maternity leave that prevented her from taking part in the competitions prescribed by the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI).
Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma passed the late-night interim order while hearing Phogat‘s application challenging the September 7 circular issued by the WFI. The trials are scheduled to be held on September 14 at the Indira Gandhi Stadium.
The court noted that Phogat’s circumstances, including pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum recovery, would have to be considered while determining the validity of the policy. But it held that these circumstances, by themselves, did not warrant an interim direction allowing her to compete in the trials despite not meeting the prescribed eligibility criteria.
“To reiterate, the criteria prescribed under the circular dated September 7, 2026 apply uniformly to all athletes. An athlete who has not participated in the prescribed competitions, for whatever reason, would not fall within the eligibility categories specified by respondent no. 1 (WFI),” the court said.
It further cautioned that granting Phogat an exemption before examining the policy itself could result in unequal treatment of athletes in a similar position who were not before the court.
“Granting such interim relief to the petitioner alone, without first adjudicating upon the policy itself, may consequently result in unequal treatment of similarly situated athletes who are not before this court,” it said.
The court made clear that it was not expressing a final view either on the validity of the September 7 circular or on the merits of the disciplinary proceedings pending against Phogat.
Phogat, who has returned to competition after maternity leave, had approached the high court seeking permission to take part in the trials for the 2026 Senior World Championships. She had also sought a stay on the operation of the WFI circular laying down the eligibility requirements for the trials.
The championship is scheduled to be held in Astana, Kazakhstan, from October 24 to November 1.
According to the WFI circular, the women’s selection trials will be conducted in six Olympic weight categories. Phogat challenged the framework, arguing that it makes access to the trials dependent on participation and performance in specified qualifying competitions.
Her plea contended that she had been excluded from the selection process without being assessed on sporting merit. Instead, she said, her exclusion resulted from her inability to compete in the particular events designated by the WFI as qualifying gateways for the trials.
The plea also argued that the framework does not provide for athletes who could not participate in the prescribed competitions because of maternity-related reasons.
The application was filed in Phogat’s existing petition seeking a fair and structured framework for women athletes returning to competitive sport after pregnancy and maternity leave.
On September 1, the high court had sought responses from the WFI and the Centre on that petition. Phogat has sought, among other reliefs, directions for a structured framework for women athletes returning from maternity, transparent and objectively verifiable selection and nomination procedures, and an alternative mechanism for athletes disadvantaged by maternity-related absence.
Phogat, who became a mother in July 2025, has said that when she resumed her wrestling career after childbirth, she was required to re-enter the competitive pathway without any accommodation for the period during which she was unable to compete because of maternity.
Separately, Phogat has challenged two show cause notices issued against her by the WFI and the disciplinary proceedings initiated pursuant to them.
During those proceedings, WFI’s counsel told the court that hearings had been fixed twice but “there has been no show”; a final opportunity was subsequently granted, with the hearing held on September 2.
Phogat has alleged in that plea that the notices, issued on May 9 and June 17, form part of a continuing pattern of arbitrary and mala fide action by the WFI aimed at obstructing her return to competitive wrestling after maternity.
With PTI Inputs
Quick Answers
Ask News18The Delhi High Court refused to grant an interim exemption from the eligibility criteria, stating that the rules prescribed under the September 7, 2026 circular apply uniformly to all athletes. Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma noted that granting interim relief to Phogat alone, without first adjudicating the policy itself, could result in unequal treatment of other similarly situated athletes who are not before the court.
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Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience …Read More
September 11, 2026, 09:30 IST
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