Delhi High Court closes Vinesh Phogat's petition against WFI; says she can file fresh plea against selection policy

The Delhi High Court on Monday ordered the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) to decide in two weeks the show cause notice issued to wrestler Vinesh Phogat which bars her from participation in domestic competitions and accusing her of indiscipline and anti-doping rule violations.

Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma passed the order and disposed of the plea filed by three-time Olympian challenging her initial expulsion from the Asian Games trials and the show cause notice dated May 9.

"Within two weeks, you decide the show cause notice under intimation to this court and the petitioner," Justice Sharma said.

The Court added that Phogat can file a separate plea challenging the WFI's selection policy.

Phogat had approached the High Court in May.

According to reports, Phogat was barred from the trials as the eligibility for the wrestling trials was limited to medal winners of certain competitions held in 2025 and 2026.

Phogat did not compete in any of these events. She had announced her retirement following the 2024 Olympics but returned to wrestling in December 2025.

The WFI issued a show-cause notice on May 9, accusing Phogat of indiscipline, anti-doping rule violations and failure to comply with mandatory return-to-competition procedures after retirement.

According to WFI, Phogat did not complete the required six-month notice period under United World Wrestling regulations before attempting a comeback. The notice also referred to her 2024 Paris Olympics disqualification for being overweight, calling it a "national embarrassment", and alleged “whereabouts failures” linked to anti-doping protocols. 

Phogat rejected the allegations, stating that both the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the International Testing Agency had cleared her to compete from January 2026 onward. She claimed that the Federation was attempting to force her into retirement and described the action as unfair and politically motivated.

While a single judge had initially refused to pass any interim orders in her favour, a Division Bench later allowed Phogat's request to take part in the trials.

The Division Bench noted that Phogat could not meet the WFI's "exclusionary" selection policy only because she was on maternity leave and that motherhood cannot become a ground for exclusion or marginalisation of female athletes like Phogat.

Notably, the Division Bench also slammed the WFI for issuing a "deplorable" show-cause notice to Phogat and termed the WFI's action as vindictive.

The WFI challenged the Division Bench's decision before the Supreme Court, which declined to expunge the High Court's remarks.

Phogat then participated in the Asian Games trials but failed to qualify.

Today, the High Court disposed off the pleas while asking WFI to decide on the show cause notice.

Senior Advocate Raj Shekhar Rao with advocates Ritwik Prakash, Vishakha Gupta, Aashita Khanna and Neil M Goswami appeared for Vinesh Phogat.

Advocates Hemant Phalpher represented the WFI.