Last Panghal (left) Bajrang and Vinesh (right)
– Photo: Social Media
Expansion
Controversy continues to grow over the exemption of wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat from trials for the Asian Games. Now this matter has reached the court. Wrestlers Avinash Panghal and Sujit Kalkal had filed a petition in the Delhi High Court demanding a trial. Along with this, giving exemption to Bajrang and Vinesh was said to be wrong. Hearing this petition, the Delhi High Court has sought a quick response from the Wrestling Federation of India and has fixed Friday (July 21) for a detailed hearing in the entire matter.
The Delhi High Court on Thursday asked the Wrestling Federation of India to explain the grounds for exempting wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia from the Asian Games trials. Justice Subramaniam Prasad, while hearing the pleas of U-20 world champion Antim Panghal and U-23 Asian champion Sujit Kalkal against direct entry to Phogat and Punia, asked the wrestling association to file its response on Thursday itself.
Listing the matter for hearing on Friday, the judge said, “If it (basis of selection) is just, fair and reasonable, then that is the end of the matter.” The court asked the wrestling association’s counsel to explain what was the basis of selection of Phogat and Punia apart from being good players. Phogat (53kg) and Punia (65kg) were on Tuesday given direct entry to the Asian Games by the Indian Olympic Association’s ad-hoc committee, while other wrestlers confirmed their places in the Indian team through selection trials on July 22 and 23. Have to do
Panghal and Kalkal challenged the exemption and demanded a fair selection process for the Asian Games. Advocates Hrishikesh Baruah and Akshay Kumar filed the petition. It has demanded that the direction of the IOA ad-hoc committee in respect of the two categories (men’s freestyle 65kg and women’s 53kg) be set aside and the exemption granted to Phogat and Punia be revoked.