The Union sports ministry on Tuesday overturned the suspension of the Wrestling Federation of India with immediate effect, The Indian Express reported.
The Union government also gave full control of the federation to its president Sanjay Singh. He is a close aide of former Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who is also a former Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Uttar Pradesh’s Kaiserganj.
The federation had been suspended in December 2023 in the wake of sexual harassment accusations by six women wrestlers against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. The body was derecognised citing “lapses regarding governance and procedural integrity by the newly elected body, which apparently was in control of former office-bearers in complete disregard to the provisions of the National Sports Code”.
The Delhi Police registered a first information report against him in April 2023, following the intervention of the Supreme Court. In June 2023, the police filed a 1,000-page chargesheet against him.
On Tuesday, the sports ministry cited findings of the spot verification committee, compliance measures put in place by the federation and the larger interest of “Indian sports and athletes” while revoking the suspension of WFI and restoring its recognition as the national body for the sport.
The ministry had suspended the federation after Sanjay Singh announced that the under-15 and under-20 national championships for wrestling would take place in Nandini Nagar area of Uttar Pradesh’s Gonda district. Gonda is the stronghold of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
Stating that Sanjay Singh’s announcement was hasty, the ministry had noted that the work of the federation was being carried out from the premises controlled by its former office-bearers, which was where several wrestlers were allegedly sexually harassed earlier.
The ministry had also said that the new wrestling federation seemed to be in complete control of former office-bearers, in violation of the Sports Code.
In its statement on Tuesday, the ministry directed that any person who is not elected as an office bearer, “as also the suspended/terminated salaried officials of the WFI must remain completely disassociated from the federation and its affiliate units”, reported The Indian Express.
The executive committee of the federation must submit an undertaking in this regard within four weeks, said the Union government, adding that violating this requirement will invite “appropriate legal action, including the action under the Sports Code”.
“The WFI must ensure that selection for all international events should be done in a free, fair and transparent manner as per the extant provisions of the Sports Code and the other latest instructions issued in this regard along with regulations issued from time-to-time by the UWW [United World Wrestling],” said the ministry.
After Sanjay Singh was elected to the post, Sakshi Malik, a 2016 Olympic bronze medallist, announced that she would quit wrestling.
In January 2023, several Indian wrestlers, including Malik, 2020 Olympic bronze medallist Bajrang Punia and three-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist Vinesh Phogat, had launched a protest against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, accusing him of intimidation and sexual harassment.
Seven complainants, including a minor, accused the BJP leader of demanding sexual favours for professional help on at least two occasions, and also reported 15 incidents of alleged molestation and other forms of sexual harassment.
Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh was forced to step down from his post and an ad-hoc committee was appointed to look after the affairs of the federation. The elections, which were to be held in July, were delayed due to court cases, which led the United World Wrestling to suspend the Indian federation.
Wrestlers free to challenge overturning of suspension: Delhi HC
Later on Tuesday, the Delhi High Court said that Phogat, Malik, Punia and other wrestlers were free to challenge the overturning of the Wrestling Federation of India’s suspension, The Hindu reported.
The bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela requested the single-judge bench, who is hearing a petition filed by the wrestlers against the conduct of the elections in 2023, to expedite the proceedings, PTI reported.
The court was closing the proceedings on an appeal filed by the federation against an order of a single judge restoring the ad hoc committee to run its affairs. The bench noted that the committee had to work only till the suspension was in force.
“Needless to state, it will be open to any party, if aggrieved by the order dated March 10 passed by the Sports Ministry, to challenge the same before appropriate court,” the court said.
On August 16, the single-judge bench restored the mandate of the ad hoc committee for the Wrestling Federation of India in its interim order and said that it was necessary for it to manage affairs till the suspension was recalled.
Also read: Despite wrestlers’ courage, a culture of fear grips Indian sport
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