New Delhi, Dec 18 (PTI) The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought the Centre's reply on the Wrestling Federation of India's plea against allowing the Indian Olympic Association to reconstitute an ad-hoc panel to run the federation's affairs.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela granted three weeks to the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports to file its response to the petition and posted the hearing on February 5, 2025.

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The WFI challenged the August 16 interim order of HC's single-judge that said the IOA decision to dissolve the ad-hoc committee was incompatible with the sports ministry's order suspending the WFI shortly after its elections in December, 2023.

The single judge said until the suspension order was recalled, it was necessary for the ad-hoc committee to manage the federation's affairs.

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The order came on a plea moved by wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik and her husband Satyawart Kadian.

As an interim relief, the WFI appeal has sought a direction to stay the August 16 order till the pendency of the proceedings.

"The single judge failed to appreciate that there is no challenge made by the writ petitioners to the dissolution of the ad-hoc committee by the IOA in the writ petition," it said.

The wrestlers, who were at the forefront of the 2023 protests at Jantar Mantar demanding the arrest of outgoing WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh for the alleged sexual harassment of seven women grapplers, moved the high court this year for setting aside and declaring as illegal the elections held to elect the office-bearers of the federation in December, 2023.

Sanjay Singh, a Brij Bhushan loyalist, was elected as the new WFI chief in the polls held on December 21, 2023.

The Centre, however, suspended the WFI on December 24, 2023, three days after it elected the new office-bearers, for allegedly not following the provisions of its own constitution while taking decisions, and requested the IOA to constitute an ad-hoc committee to manage and control its affairs.

In February, the United World Wrestling lifted the suspension of the WFI, prompting the IOA to dissolve the ad-hoc panel on March 18.

The petitioners had sought a stay on the functioning of the WFI in its present form and a direction to prevent it from undertaking any activity as a national federation for the sport of wrestling.

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