The Delhi High Court on Wednesday (September 9, 2026) asked the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) to reply to a plea by grappler Vinesh Phogat seeking permission to participate in the women’s selection trials for the 2026 Senior World Championships.

Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma asked the counsel for WFI to get instructions on the issue and listed the application for hearing on Thursday (September 10).

Phogat also sought a stay on the operation and implementation of a September 7 circular issued by the WFI prescribing the eligibility criteria for the selection trials which are scheduled for September 14 at Indira Gandhi Stadium in Delhi.

The fresh application was filed in the main petition in which the wrestler has sought formulation of a fair and structured framework for women athletes returning to competitive sports after pregnancy and maternity leave.

In the application, she has sought a stay on the circular as it excludes her from participating in the selection trials for the championship scheduled to be held at Astana, Kazakhstan from October 24 to November 1.

The WFI circular provides for women’s trials in six Olympic weight categories. Phogat contended that the latest selection framework creates a closed pathway by making eligibility dependent on participation and performance in specified qualifying competitions.

The plea said the circular places Phogat in a position where she is excluded not because she has been assessed and found wanting on sporting merit, but because she was unable to participate in the particular competitions selected by WFI as gateways to the present selection trials.

It said the framework contains no mechanism to account for an athlete who was unable to participate in the prescribed competitions for maternity-related reasons.

The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) on Thursday (June 4, 2026) suspended five wrestlers, including U20 Asian Championship trails winner Deepanshu, for four years after their birth certificates were found to be fake during a verification exercise in its crackdown on age fraud in the sport.

Deepanshu, who had won the men’s freestyle 65kg event on Wednesday (June 3, 2026), has been replaced by Pawan Balaji Dhayagude in the squad for the championship, starting June 27 in Pattaya, Thailand.

The other suspended wrestlers are Tanuj Antil, Baljot Singh and Nikhil Dalal and Saket Drall, who reached the final of the 86kg trials. He was removed from the final and was replaced by Sahil Dalal, who eventually grabbed the place in the Indian team.

In an order issued by WFI president Sanjay Kumar Singh, the federation said it had taken a “very serious view” of wrestlers submitting forged birth certificates to gain eligibility for participation in National Wrestling Championships.

WFI said discrepancies in birth certificates had surfaced in several cases in recent months, leading to suspensions and widespread reporting in print, electronic and social media.

“Despite the action already taken, some wrestlers allegedly continued attempting to compete in national events by submitting alternative or fabricated documents,” WFI said in its notice.

The federation said verification conducted with the Registrar (Birth and Death), Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh, confirmed that the birth certificates submitted by the five wrestlers were not genuine and that corresponding records could not be traced in official registers.

Terming the violations serious, the WFI announced disciplinary proceedings against the wrestlers and suspended them from all wrestling-related activities under its aegis for a period of four years with immediate effect.

The latest action comes amid the federation’s efforts to curb age manipulation, an issue that has long plagued age-group competitions in Indian wrestling.

Show-cause notice to referee commission member

In a separate development, the WFI issued a show-cause notice to referee Jaibir, a member of the WFI Referee Commission, alleging conflict of interest and misconduct during the Asian Games selection trials in Lucknow on May 31.

According to the notice, Jaibir had been appointed as a referee for the trials and was officiating on the mat where Greco-Roman bouts were conducted. During the competition, his son, Ronak Dahiya, participated in the 130kg Greco-Roman category.

The federation alleged that during the final bout of the 130kg event, Jabir removed his referee kit and assumed the role of coach for his son while continuing to remain associated with the event as an appointed referee.

WFI said such conduct amounted to a serious conflict of interest and was contrary to the principles of neutrality, impartiality and professional ethics expected from a technical official.

The federation has asked Jaibir to submit a written explanation by June 10 as to why disciplinary action should not be initiated against him.

As Jaibir is currently officiating at the third Ranking Tournament in Mongolia, scheduled to conclude on June 9, the WFI has permitted him to continue his duties there. However, he will stand temporarily suspended after the tournament pending a final decision by the federation.

The WFI maintained that officials must disclose any potential conflict of interest and recuse themselves from duties that could compromise the integrity and fairness of competitions.

At the Nandini Nagar Mahavidyalaya here, where she rose to prominence in 2012 by winning her maiden National title at the age of 18, double Worlds bronze medallist Vinesh Phogat asserted that she was eligible to make a comeback at the senior Open ranking tournament but the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) prevented her in a ‘pre-planned’ way.

The Open Ranking venue, owned by former WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, attracted all the media attention as Vinesh, accompanied by her team, came here for pre-competition verification.

The WFI, which had served Vinesh a show-cause notice and rendered her ineligible to compete on the ground that she had not informed it six months prior to coming out of retirement, turned down her request.

After meeting WFI president Sanjay Singh, Vinesh tore into the national federation and blamed Brij Bhushan in his own backyard.

“I need time to explain in detail but how can you hold me guilty before that?” she said on Monday.

Vinesh said she informed the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) about her comeback in June 2025.

About her whereabouts failure, Vinesh said, “I apologised to the WADA. After missing one (on December 18), I was tested twice and cleared to participate in international events. I want a fair chance.

“It’s pre-planned. Brij Bhushan is behind all this.”

In a statement, Vinesh said the WFI ‘misinterpreted’ the timeline of her sabbatical and subsequent return to competition and she had the official confirmation from International Testing Agency (ITA) about her eligibility to compete from January 1, 2026. She released a document to back her claim.

Vinesh said her whereabouts failures did not amount to any anti-doping rule violations.

Sanjay said the WFI “didn’t work in a pre-planned way. We will consider Vinesh’s case after receiving her reply to the show-cause”.