Wrestlers Antim Panghal, 19, and Sujeet Kalkal, 21, on Wednesday moved Delhi High Court challenging the exemption granted to Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia for the Asian Games trials, demanding a fair selection process for the quadrennial showpiece.

The joint petition of the two wrestlers was mentioned before Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma, who listed the matter for Thursday.

The petition, moved by advocate Hrishikesh Baruah and Akshay Kumar, demanded that the directive issued by the IOA ad hoc committee with regards to the two categories (men’s freestyle 65kg and women’s 53kg) be quashed and the exemption granted to Bajrang and Vinesh be set aside.

The petition demanded that the trials should be held in a fair manner, without granting any exemption to any wrestler and the whole process be videographed.

Panghal was one of the junior wrestlers who had stood with Bajrang and Vinesh in their fight against the outgoing WFI chief in January this year when the elite players staged a sit-in.

However, now Panghal alleges that she has been cheated by the same wrestlers by denying her an opportunity to qualify for Asian Games.

“Vinesh Phogat has received a direct entry for the Asian Games when she has not trained in the last one year. She doesn’t have any achievement in the last one year,” Panghal said in a video shared on social media platforms.

Much to the exasperation of their competitors in the categories where Bajrang Punia (65kg) and Vinesh (53kg) compete, the IOA ad hoc panel decided to exempt these two wrestlers from the trials to be held on Saturday and Sunday.

Final assessment

The IOA said the final assessment of the country’s wrestling contingent for the upcoming Asian Games will be made prior to the players’ departure for China.

However, the IOA statement did not elaborate if the assessment will be relevant after sending entries.

“To maximise the chances of sending the most competitive wrestling team to the Asian Games 2022, the final assessment of the wrestling team will be made prior to the departure of the team for the competition,” the IOA release read.

“This approach will enable us to assess the athletes’ current form, consider their recent performances, and take into account any last-minute developments that may have impacted the selection process.”