Three days after Sanjay Kumar Singh, an aide to Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, led the newly-elected Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) executive committee to a landslide victory, the sports ministry suspended the committee on Sunday. The ministry's choice follows Sanjay's announcement of the under-15 and under-20 Nationals in Gonda, Uttar Pradesh, on December 21, the evening of the day he became WFI president by defeating Anita Sheoran 40-7. Gonda is located less than 50 km from Brij Bhushan's Kaiserganj constituency.
"On December 21, 2023, the day of his election, Shri Sanjay Kumar Singh, the recently elected President of the Wrestling Federation of India, declared that the U-15 and U-20 national wrestling competitions would take place in Nandini Nagar, Gonda (UP) before the year is out. According to a ministry note that HT has access to, "This announcement is hasty, without giving wrestlers who are to participate in the said nationals sufficient notice and without following the provisions of the WFI constitution."
According to the WFI's preamble, clause 3(e), among other things, the organization's goal is to organize the Senior, Junior, and Sub Junior National Championships in accordance with UWW Rules at locations chosen by the Executive Committee. Such decisions must be made by the Executive Committee, which must first put agendas up for discussion. A minimum of 15 clear days' notice is required for an EC meeting, and a quorum consists of one-third of the representatives, as per Article XI of the WFI constitution under the heading "Notices and Quorum for Meetings." The minimum notice period for an Emergency EC meeting is seven clear days, and a quorum of one-third of the representatives is required," the statement continued.
The sports ministry also mentioned the secretary general's exclusion from WFI's decision-making process. Furthermore, in accordance with Article X (d) of the WFI Constitution, the Secretary General of WFI has been tasked with managing the organization's overall operations, preserving all records of the Federation, and scheduling meetings for the Executive Committee and General Council. It appears that the Secretary General was not present at the aforementioned EC meeting, which took place without prior notice or a quorum."
Furthermore, the ministry stated that WFI is still "completely in control of former office bearers in complete disregard to the Sports Code,"
"The newly elected body seems to be completely controlled by those who held previous office, completely disobeying the Sports Code." The premises under the control of former office bearers are where the Federation conducts its business. which is also the alleged location of the players' alleged sexual harassment, and the court is currently considering the case," the statement read.
"The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI)'s newly elected executive body has shown a flagrant disregard for established legal and procedural norms, as evidenced by the decisions made, which violate both the National Sports Development Code and the WFI's constitutional