The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to interfere with the Punjab and Haryana High Court order to suspend the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) elections. The development came days after UWW, the global wrestling governing body, suspended the WFI for failing to hold its elections on time. As a result of the decision of the global wrestling organization, the country’s wrestlers will not be able to participate in the upcoming World Championships under the Indian flag. A bench of judges Abhay S Oka and Pankaj Mithal asked the petitioner, the Andhra Pradesh Amateur Wrestling Association, to approach the Supreme Court with his grievances.
“Why should we entertain this? You are going to the Supreme Court… Instead of filing a request to have the interim stay lifted, the petitioner has chosen to approach the Supreme Court. We therefore refuse to consider this request for special leave,” the court said, granting the petitioner the freedom to apply for impleadment as a party to the Supreme Court.
The Apex Court also asked the Supreme Court to give the case due priority if the petitioner files a plea for impleadment.
During the hearing, the petitioner’s counsel told the court that WFI is now no longer recognized by United World Wrestling (UWW), a development that embarrasses the country.
“The election process must not be stopped. We have no ax to sharpen,” said the association’s lawyer.
Attorney General R. Venkataramani, appearing before the Center, alleged that the petitioner bypassed the Supreme Court and jumped straight to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court heard a plea from the Andhra Pradesh Amateur Wrestling Association against the Supreme Court’s August 11 order to suspend the election.
The Indian Olympic Association-appointed ad hoc panel governing the WFI initially scheduled the election for July 6 but was forced to move the election to July 11 after non-affiliated state bodies from Maharashtra, Haryana, Telangana, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh approached for an interview. at the hearing claimed that their dismissal was inappropriate.
The panel heard the aggrieved representatives of the state bodies, but the elections could not proceed even on July 11, with the Gauhati Supreme Court adjourning the elections after the Assam Wrestling Association (AWA) applied for the right to participate in the election process. PTI PKS DV PKS SK SK
Topics mentioned in this article
