On July 22, Saturday, the Delhi High Court dismissed the petition against the wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia regarding their trial exemption for Asian Games 2022. The U-20 World Champion Antim Panghal and U-23 Asian Champion Sujeet Kalkal had challenged the direct entry given to their fellow wrestlers to take part in the continental event, which is scheduled to happen from September 23 to October 8 in Hangzhou, China.
It was on July 18, Tuesday, when the ad-hoc committee of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) granted an exemption to Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia from competing in the trial to qualify for the wrestling event at the Asiad. At the same time, the information came out that the other wrestlers will have to earn their places in Team India through the trials, set to happen on July 22 and 23.
According to the Bar and Bench, the Justice Subramonium Prasad of Delhi HC, said, “Writ petition is dismissed,” after refusing to interfere with the decision of the IOA ad-hoc committee. During the court proceedings, the judge also said, “The endeavour of the court is not to find who is better. The endeavour is to set whether the process has been followed or not.” Furthermore, it was reported that a detailed copy of the order is awaited.
Notably, the petition, which was moved on July 19, Wednesday, by the advocates Hrishikesh Baruah and Akshay Kumar, on behalf of Antim Panghal and Sujeet Kalkal, had “demanded that the directive issued by the IOA ad-hoc committee with regard to the two categories (men's freestyle 65kg and women's 53kg) be quashed and the exemption granted to Phogat and Punia set aside.”
According to reports, several wrestlers and their parents also staged a protest at the Indira Gandhi Stadium, the venue of the trials in New Delhi, which had prompted the organisers to conduct the proceedings behind closed doors.
