GUWAHATI: On Tuesday, the Supreme Court lifted the stay imposed by the Gauhati High Court, thereby allowing the elections for the executive committee of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) to proceed.
The decision was made by a Bench comprising Justices Aniruddha Bose and S V Bhatti, who ordered the immediate commencement of the election process.
The Gauhati High Court had previously halted the WFI elections, which were originally scheduled for July 11, following a petition filed by the Assam Wrestling Association (AWA).
The AWA had raised concerns over its right to participate in the polls and demanded recognition as an affiliated member of WFI with voting rights. Despite its executive committee's recommendation for affiliation on November 15, 2014, the national federation denied AWA's request.
Responding to the high-stakes situation, the Andhra Pradesh Amateur Wrestling Association (APAWA) approached the apex court, arguing that the High Court made an error by suspending the elections based on a third party's plea.
APAWA contended that the election process should be allowed to proceed, and any grievances should be addressed later through appropriate channels, such as an election petition.
The Supreme Court bench issued notices to the sports ministry, WFI, and AWA, taking the matter under consideration. APAWA's plea, presented by advocate Anuj Tyagi, emphasised that the High Court had passed the order without providing prior notice to APAWA or other voters and state associations affiliated with WFI.
WFI had initially fixed May 7 as the election date, but before the process could be completed, the sports ministry suspended the federation.