Supreme Court sets aside stay order, paves way for Wrestling Federation of India polls

New Delhi, November 28

The Supreme Court on Tuesday paved the way for holding the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) elections as it lifted the stay ordered by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on the wrestling body’s polls.

How could the election be stayed? Subsequently, it could be challenged. We’ve strong reservations about the high court passing an interim order and staying the elections. SC

“We fail to understand how the entire process of the election could have been set at naught by the high court,” a Bench led by Justice Abhay S Oka said, setting aside the August 11 order of the high court.

“It will be open for the returning officer to proceed with the election by publishing a revised election programme. We make it clear that the outcome of the election will be subject to orders that may be passed in the petition,” the Bench said.

The proper course adopted by the high court would have been to allow the elections to be conducted subject to the outcome of the pending writ petition, it said.

The Haryana Wrestling Association counsel said Haryana Amateur Wrestling Association’s certificate of affiliation with the Haryana Olympic Association was fabricated.

The SC had earlier sought the response of the Centre and others on a plea by the ad-hoc committee constituted to run the WFI challenging a stay imposed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on holding elections to the wrestling body. The ad-hoc panel had moved the top court against the September 25 order of the high court putting the elections on hold.