The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has approached the Supreme Court of India challenging a recent Delhi High Court order that permitted wrestler Vinesh Phogat to participate in the selection trials for the Asian Games 2026.

According to reports, a bench comprising Justice PS Narasimha and Justice Alok Aradhe is scheduled to hear the matter on Thursday.

On May 22, the Delhi High Court had directed that Phogat be allowed to compete in the trials scheduled for May 30 and 31. While granting interim relief, the High Court observed that WFI’s selection policy appeared “clearly exclusionary in nature” as it failed to account for athletes returning after maternity- breaks.

The court further noted that motherhood should not become a basis for excluding or marginalising female athletes and said Phogat’s absence from competition was directly linked to the sabbatical she took following maternity leave.

Court had ordered monitored and recorded trials

The Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia also directed that the trials be video recorded and conducted under the supervision of independent observers appointed by the Sports Authority of India and the Indian Olympic Association to ensure transparency in the process.

The order came while hearing an appeal filed by Phogat against an earlier interim order passed by a single judge bench, which had refused to grant her immediate relief in her challenge against WFI’s selection criteria and a show-cause notice issued to her.

Phogat had argued before the court that she should be permitted to participate in the selection process despite not competing recently, stating that her absence was linked to maternity and her subsequent comeback attempt.

The dispute forms part of the continuing tensions between Phogat and the federation following the 2023 wrestlers’ protests and the controversies surrounding WFI administration in recent years.