The Supreme Court overturned the stay imposed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court regarding the conduct of elections for the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) on November 28. Justices Abhay S Oka and Pankaj Mithal, presiding over the bench, expressed their perplexity at how the high court could nullify the entire election process.
"Pending a writ petition filed by the Haryana Wrestling Association, by an interim order the high court has stayed the election of WFI. We fail to understand how the entire process of the election could have been set at naught by HC. The proper course would have been to allow the election to be conducted and make the election subject to the outcome of the pending writ petition.
"Accordingly, the impugned order granting interim relief is set aside. It will be open for returning officers to proceed with the election by publishing a revised election program. We make it clear that the outcome of the election will be subject to orders that may be passed in the petition," the bench said.
Previously, the Supreme Court had requested the Center and other parties to respond to a petition filed by the ad-hoc committee established to oversee the operations of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI). This committee contested a stay imposed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, preventing the conduct of elections for the wrestling body. In response to the high court's September 25 order to halt the elections, the ad-hoc panel approached the apex court. The Supreme Court had declined to intervene in the high court's decision to stay the WFI elections on August 29.
The situation unfolded shortly after the global governing body for wrestling, United World Wrestling, suspended the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) for its failure to conduct timely elections. Initially scheduled for July 6 by the ad-hoc panel appointed by the Indian Olympic Association to oversee WFI, the elections were later rescheduled to July 11 due to objections from disaffiliated state bodies in Maharashtra, Haryana, Telangana, Rajasthan, and Himachal Pradesh. These state bodies sought a hearing, contending that their dismissal was unjust. Despite the panel hearing their concerns, the elections didn't proceed on July 11. The Gauhati High Court intervened by issuing a stay after the Assam Wrestling Association (AWA) insisted on its right to participate in the electoral process.
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