Guwahati, July 23 : The Assam Wrestling Association (AWA), for which the state body had previously petitioned the court to postpone the election of the national federation, was given membership in the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) on Saturday.
The ad hoc wrestling committee of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) told AWA that its membership application had been approved with immediate effect.
“Having considered your application, through the powers vested in the ad-hoc committee of WFI, you are granted membership of Wrestling Federation of India with immediate effect,” Bhupender Singh Bajwa, a member of IOA’s ad-hoc committee for wrestling, wrote in a letter to AWA president.
The letter further mentioned, “This decision is subject to the outcome of the case filed by Assam Wrestling Association in the Hon’ble High Court of Gauhati in Case No.WPC (C) / 3757/ 2023.”
Ratul Sharma, the president of the AWA, stated that the state organisation has already fulfilled all requirements for membership, including paying the required membership dues, and has also submitted the national organisation the names of its delegates.
He said, “We applaud the (IOA) ad-hoc committee’s decision as it rectifies the great injustice that had been done to the wrestlers of our state for years.”
The Gauhati High Court stayed the polls set for July 11 on June 25 after the AWA petitioned to take part in the WFI election.
Despite the national federation’s executive committee’s recommendation on November 15, 2014, the state association’s argument that it was entitled to be an associated member of the WFI with voting rights was rejected.
The deadline for submitting names for the electoral college was June 25.
The High Court once again took up the case on July 17, and while maintaining the stay order on the election process, it set July 28 as the next date for hearing.
But on July 18, after hearing a petition by the Andhra Pradesh Amateur Wrestling Association, the Supreme Court cleared the way for the WFI polls by suspending the Gauhati High Court’s decision.
The Union Sports Ministry, the WFI, the AWA, and other parties had also received notices from the top court in response to a plea that contested the High Court’s order from June 25.
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