Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav of Delhi High Court observed that no interim relief could be granted “without hearing the other side.” However, the court allowed Phogat to file a comprehensive reply to the show-cause notice issued by the WFI over allegations of indiscipline and anti-doping rule violations.
The court further directed the WFI to take the notice “to its logical conclusion” by July 6 and place its decision before the court.
Phogat had approached the Delhi High Court challenging the show-cause notice issued by the WFI on May 9, which accused the three-time Olympian of misconduct and alleged anti-doping violations. The federation also declared her ineligible to participate in the upcoming Senior Open Ranking Tournament at Nandini Nagar in Gonda, Uttar Pradesh.
In a statement posted on social media platform X, Phogat questioned the timing and content of the notice, alleging that the WFI had “misinterpreted” the timeline of her sabbatical and return to competition.
“The WFI has misinterpreted the timelines of my sabbatical from sport and subsequent return to training,” she said.
Phogat clarified that, contrary to the date mentioned in the notice, she had been eligible to resume official training and competition from January 1, 2026, with confirmation from the International Testing Agency (ITA), which oversees doping control in wrestling.
The wrestler said she had completed her registration for the Gonda tournament and intended to compete as part of her international comeback. She also stated that she would submit a detailed response to the WFI within the 14-day period provided by the federation.
Rejecting allegations related to her participation in two weight categories during the 2024 selection trials at NIS Patiala, Phogat maintained that her earlier whereabouts failures did not amount to anti-doping rule violations under existing regulations.
The WFI has leveled four key charges against Phogat, including failure to make weight at the Paris 2024 Olympics, alleged anti-doping violations, breach of return-to-competition procedures after retirement, and participation in both the 50kg and 53kg categories during the 2024 selection trials.
Phogat, 31, had announced her retirement immediately after the Paris Olympics in 2024 but reversed her decision in December 2025 with the aim of competing at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. She had reached the final of the women’s 50kg event in Paris after defeating several top-ranked wrestlers before being disqualified from the gold medal bout due to weight-related issues.
The latest controversy comes amid Phogat’s long-running dispute with the WFI leadership. She had previously emerged as one of the leading voices protesting against alleged harassment within the federation and had challenged the federation’s former president in court.
Apart from her sporting career, Phogat is also an elected Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Haryana. Sports experts have urged the United World Wrestling (UWW) and the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) to clarify the matter to avoid further uncertainty surrounding her career and to safeguard the credibility of Indian wrestling.
