WFI: The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Friday stayed the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) elections, which were scheduled to be held on August 12 after multiple delays. The stay came following a petition filed by the Haryana Wrestling Association (HWA), challenging the move to allow the Haryana Amateur Wrestling Association to cast votes in the WFI polls.
The HWA argued that the Haryana Amateur Wrestling Association is not affiliated with the WFI and therefore does not have the right to vote in the elections. The HWA also alleged that the Haryana Amateur Wrestling Association is controlled by Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the former president of the WFI who is currently facing allegations of sexual harassment.
The High Court agreed with the HWA’s arguments and stayed the WFI elections. The court also directed the WFI to file a reply to the HWA’s petition within two weeks.
The stay on the WFI elections is a major setback for the wrestling federation, which has been mired in controversy for several months. The WFI elections were originally scheduled to be held in June 2023, but they were postponed multiple times due to a series of protests by Indian wrestlers and legal petitions from various state units.
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The latest stay on the WFI elections is likely to further delay the federation’s elections and could have a negative impact on Indian wrestling. The WFI is the governing body for wrestling in India and it is responsible for selecting and training Indian wrestlers for international competitions. The delay in the WFI elections could mean that Indian wrestlers will be unprepared for the upcoming Commonwealth Games and Asian Games.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court’s stay on the WFI elections is a reminder of the deep-seated problems within the wrestling federation. The federation needs to be reformed if it wants to regain the trust of Indian wrestlers and fans.