The Sports Ministry on Sunday suspended the new body of Sanjay Singh-led Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) over its ‘hasty’ announcement of holding national events.
According to sources, the ministry issued a letter saying, “The newly elected President of the Wrestling Federation of India, Sanjay Kumar Singh, on 21.12.2023, the day he was elected as the President, announced that for wrestling under-15 and -20 national players,” which will be held in Nandini Nagar, Gonda (UP) before the end of this year.
“This announcement has been made in haste, without adequate notice to the wrestlers who are to participate in the said national competitions and without adhering to the provisions of the WFI Constitution.”
The letter further reads that in accordance with Clause 3 (e) of the Preamble of the WFI Constitution, the objective of the WFI, inter alia, is to organize Senior, Junior and Sub Junior National Championships in accordance with UWW rules at venues selected by the Executive Committee. Have to make arrangements.
“Such decisions are taken by the Executive Committee before which the agenda is required to be placed for consideration. As per Article XI of the WFI Constitution under the heading ‘Notice and Quorum for the Meeting’, the minimum notice period for an EC meeting is 15 clear days and the quorum is 1/3 of the delegates. Even for an emergency EC meeting, the minimum notice period is 7 clear days with a quorum requirement of 1/3 delegates.
“Furthermore, the Articles of the Constitution of the WFI call for meetings of the General Council and Executive Committee of the Federation. “It appears that the Secretary General has not attended the said meeting of the EC, which was held without any notice or quorum.”
It also said that the newly elected body appears to be under the control of former office-bearers with complete disregard for the Sports Code.
“The business of the federation is being run from premises controlled by former office-bearers. Which is also the alleged complex in which players have been accused of sexual harassment and the court is currently hearing the case. The decisions taken by the newly elected executive body of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) reflect a blatant disregard for established legal and procedural norms, violating both the constitutional provisions of the WFI and the National Sports Development Code.
“The proceedings completely smack of arbitrariness on the part of the Speaker, which is against established principles of good governance and is devoid of transparency and due process. Adherence to governance norms is important to ensure fair play, transparency and accountability. “It is important to build trust between athletes, stakeholders and the public,” the letter reads.
“Also, UWW, the international body for wrestling, has not yet issued an official communication to lift the suspension of WFI. WFI has been directed to suspend all its activities until further orders.
The Sports Ministry has not yet shared any official statement with the media on this matter.
