A bench comprising Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia directed that the trials, scheduled for May 30 and 31, be video-recorded by the WFI. The court also ordered the presence of independent observers from the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) throughout the proceedings.
“The appellant shall be permitted to participate in the selection trials for the Asian Games, 2026, scheduled for May 30 and 31, 2026,” the court stated in its order uploaded on Saturday.
The bench noted that allowing Phogat to compete was necessary “in the interest of sports and justice.” It further observed that the WFI’s policy and circular appeared “clearly exclusionary” as they did not provide any mechanism to consider exceptional cases such as Phogat’s return following maternity leave.
The court also remarked that the grounds cited in the WFI’s show-cause notice to the wrestler had already been settled and appeared to be “premeditated.” She had challenged the WFI show-cause notice which threatened to derail her bid to return to the sport, alleging misinterpretation of rules and raising fresh questions over the federation’s motives as she prepared for upcoming competitions. Phogat is also an elected Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Haryana.
The order came in response to Phogat’s appeal against a May 18 ruling by a single-judge bench that had denied her interim relief and barred her from participating in the trials.
Phogat, an internationally acclaimed wrestler, was disqualified from the women’s 50kg event at the 2024 Summer Olympics after being found 100 grams overweight during the morning weigh-in.
