BAJRANG PUNIA Vs. UNION OF INDIA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The instant application has been filed in the backdrop of the grievances raised in the present writ petition as regards the conduct of affairs of the respondent no.2 i.e. Wrestling Federation of India (hereafter WFI). The primary grievance, articulated in the writ petition, pertains to the alleged illegal action of the respondent no.2 (WFI) in seeking to conduct selection trials for Senior Asian Wrestling Championship 2024 and Asian Olympic Games Qualifier Wrestling Tournament notified through circular dtd. 26/2/2024.

(2.) It has also been alleged in the writ petition that the respondent no.2 (WFI) is not compliant with the National Sports Development Code, 2011 (hereafter Sports Code) as interpreted by a Division Bench of this Court vide judgment dtd. 16/8/2022 in W.P(C) 195/2010. It is averred in the writ petition that the onus of ensuring that the respondent no.2 (WFI) alongwith its affiliated members are fully compliant with the Sports Code lies solely on the shoulders of respondent no.1 i.e. Ministry Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS).

(3.) It has further been averred in the writ petition that although the respondent no. 1, having conferred with the responsibility of ensuring good governance in the respondent no. 2 (WFI) and adherence to the Sports Code, suspended the respondent no. 2 (WFI) vide order dates 24/12/2023 and simultaneously requested the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to constitute an ad-hoc committee (respondent no. 3) to manage and control the affairs of respondent no.2 (WFI), in actual fact, the said ad-hoc committee failed to take appropriate steps to assume full control of the respondent no.2 (WFI) and/or to issue directions to ensure that the respondent no.2 (WFI) and its affiliated member units fall in line and comply with the mandatory requirements of the Sports Code.