New Delhi: Suspended WFI chief to move court

New Delhi : Newly-elected WFI president Sanjay Singh on Thursday said that the sports ministry did not follow “proper procedure” while suspending the wrestling national body and will challenge the government’s decision in a court.

The Sports Ministry on Sunday suspended the WFI, three days after its elections were held, for flouting its own constitution while taking certain decisions, including the announcement of U-15 and U-20 National Championships. Sanjay, however, said that his “autonomous” and “democratically elected” body could not have been suspended by the government without hearing the WFI’s side of the story.

“We have won the elections (of WFI) democratically. The returning officer was the retired chief justice of J&K High Court, there were observers from the IOA and UWW (United World Wrestling). There were 22 state units (three absent out of 25 state associations) taking part in the elections, 47 votes were polled out of which I got 40,” Sanjay told PTI.

“After all these, if you say we are suspended, we are not going to accept it. A democratically-elected body was not given a chance to explain its position which is against the principle of natural justice which everybody is entitled to under the Constitution of India.”

Asked what is the way forward for his body, he said, “WFI is an autonomous body and the government has not followed proper procedure. We are going to talk to the government and if it

(government) does not take back the suspension, we are taking legal opinion and going to court.” He said since the WFI is contesting the suspension, he does not accept the three-member ad-hoc committee formed by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on Wednesday to run the day-to-day affairs of the national sports body.

Sanjay Singh accused Bajrang Punia and other wrestlers part of the protest of doing politics and said that they were past their prime as players.

“These players are past their prime. Like you must have seen with Bajrang Punia, he lost his last match by 10-0. Now they have left wrestling for politics. Rahul Gandhi went to meet them and wrestled with them on the mat. This is not something players do,” Sanjay Singh told ANI.

On Wednesday morning, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi had reached Virender Arya Akhara in Chhara village of Jhajjar district and interacted with wrestlers, including Olympian Bajrang Punia.