Wrestling Federation of India polls delayed for legal reasons
The much-anticipated elections of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), originally scheduled for Saturday, have been delayed until further notice by Punjab and Haryana High Court.
This legal action happened following a petition submitted by the Haryana Wrestling Association. The organization has introduced a new layer of complexity to the electoral process.
Notably, two different bodies from Haryana are claiming to have the right to cast their votes in the electoral process.
Under the command of Member of Parliament, Deepinder Hooda, HWA contended that it has the rank of a registered society in the state and asserted its association with the WFI.
Ravinder Malik, the advocate representing HWA, stressed that WFI's constraints specify that any registered interconnected entity can elect two representatives for chucking votes in the electoral proceedings.
“The returning officer has given the finding in favour of Haryana Amateur Wrestling Association, saying they fulfil the condition of affiliation with WFI as well as Haryana Olympic Association.”
Nevertheless, the condition became thorny when the Haryana Amateur Wrestling Association asserted its affiliation with two bodies: WFI and the Haryana Olympic Association. It should be noted that this entity argued that HWA lacked the mandatory affiliation with the WFI to take part in the electoral proceedings.
With two bodies claiming to represent Haryana in the polls, the polling has been postponed.
Lawyer Ravinder Malik intervenes as controversy erupts over Wrestling Federation of India polls
Advocate Ravinder Malik visibly opposed this judgment. He stressed that while the Haryana Amateur Wrestling Association might have a connection with WFI, it never held an equal status with the Haryana Olympic Association. He thus sought to prove that it is not eligible for taking part in the election process.
Malik, who is representing HWA, narrated:
“We have challenged the returning officer’s order in the HC, saying that the Haryana Amateur Wrestling Association may be affiliated with the WFI but it is not affiliated with the HOA, meaning they are not entitled to participate in the poll process.”
He further added:
“In case Haryana Amateur Wrestling Association is allowed to participate in the election process, then it will cause prejudice as well as the WFI elections will be illegal.”
Determining the unwanted depth of the situation, the court, under Justice Vinod S Bhardwaj, intervened and stayed the Wrestling Federation of India elections on a short-term basis.