Big win for Vinesh Phogat: Delhi HC tells WFI to set guidelines for maternity return

It was a big victory for Vinesh Phogat in her fight with the Wrestling Federation Of India as the Delhi High Court told the governing body to frame better guidelines for maternity returns. The Delhi HC said the WFI should lay down clear guidelines and timelines to balance the interests of the national team with the rights of athletes, especially women returning to competition after maternity leave.

Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma noted that women often have to put their careers on hold after marriage and childbirth, while men are generally able to continue career advancement.

The court’s comments were made during the hearing on Vinesh Phogat seeks permission to compete in the women’s selection exams for the 2026 Senior WC after returning from maternity leave. The court said it would issue an order on her request.

Phogat’s counsel also claimed that neither WFI representatives nor officials were present at the show-cause notice meeting scheduled for Wednesday at the Constitution Club, despite Phogat’s party attending. The lawyer said the federation subsequently claimed that Phogat did not attend the meeting.

“This is a case where the institution has deliberately targeted me. Prima facie I am able to prove malice and bias on their part. WFI has shown absolute arbitrariness in the case. It was informed with the selection criteria only on September 7 and the trials are scheduled for September 14,” he argued.

The WFI counsel clarified that Vinesh Phogat was not barred from the competition and said that she will be eligible to enter the tenders if she fulfills the requirements as per the federation’s policy.

He added that medal winners from the 2025 and 2026 competitions would qualify under the system and said Phogat would be welcome to compete, win medals and work his way back through the state and national championships after going several years without a medal.

However, the bench questioned the policy itself and suggested that its provisions could be the source of the problem. The court also suggested that clear guidelines and timetables may be needed to govern the functioning of the federation.

“That’s the problem. A woman gets married, gives birth to a child and in the meantime the men will go win medals and then qualify for something and the woman will have to sit at home and take care of the children. Something should be done about that too, otherwise it’s very unfair.”

“Even in this profession, when one practices law, they leave when they have children and when they come back, clients don’t come. That is something we are trying to address because you have failed. How unfair can it be?…. Therefore, you have to make some guidelines that balance the interest of the country and also the interest of the person,” Justice Sharma said.

Phogat sought a stay on the September 7 WFI circular setting the eligibility criteria for the women’s selection trials for the 2026 Senior World Cup scheduled for September 14 at the Indira Gandhi Stadium in Delhi. The championship is to be held in Astana, Kazakhstan, from October 24 to November 1.

The request was made as part of Phogat’s ongoing request for a fair and structured framework for female wrestlers returning to competition after pregnancy and maternity leave. She argued that the WFI’s latest policy effectively excludes her because eligibility is tied to participation and results in specified qualifying races that she was unable to participate in due to maternity.

Phogat, who became a mother in July 2025, said the framework did not provide any alternative route for athletes forced to miss qualifying events due to maternity-related absence. She argued that her exclusion was therefore not based on sporting merit.

The wrestler strove for transparent and objectively verifiable selection procedures along with a support mechanism for athletes whose careers were interrupted by motherhood. On September 1, the Delhi High Court sought responses from WFI and the Center on its broader plea.

Phogat also contested two show-cause notices issued by the WFI on May 9 and June 17, alleging that the disciplinary action is part of a pattern of arbitrary conduct designed to prevent her from returning to competitive wrestling. The WFI, meanwhile, claimed that Phogat was given several opportunities to attend the hearing.

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Published on:

10 Sep 2026 20:34 IST