Swati DeshpandeMumbai: The Bombay high court on Monday dismissed the state association’s writ petition against a decision of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) and upheld the de-affiliation of NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar-led Maharashtra State Wrestling Association (MSWA).On Jan 1, 2023, the WFI had replaced the MSWA with the Maharashtra Rajya Kustigir Sangh (MRKS), led by former BJP MP Rajendra Tadas.The state association said its executive committee didn’t make the de-affiliation decision and thus claimed it was “illegal and arbitrary’’.The WFI defended its decision even during the petition filed by MSWA, which was heard by Justices Bharati Dangre and Manjusha Deshpande. The HC bench on Monday dismissed the MSWA petition, holding that the WFI decision was made by its ‘general counsel’, which is distinct from its executive committee and was never under any embargo from taking any decision. The reasoned order will follow.Earlier in a Nov 2022 order, then HC Judge sitting singly, Justice Sandeep Shinde, had quashed the WFI’s July 2022 decision to dissolve MSWA’s elected committee and observed, “Decision of the Executive Committee of WFI was not only in breach of principles of natural justice, but behind their back…the procedural fairness has been given a complete go-by, before taking the impugned decision.”Pawar’s NCP headed the MSWA committee for over 40 years, till it was dissolved in 2022. The HC had, in 2022, allowed the association’s elected body to hold office until their tenure expired. After the HC order, in 2023, the WFI’s oversight committee de-affiliated the MSWA. The WFI’s then-head, Brij Bhushan Singh, had cited, as a reason, the failure of MSWA to hold certain tournaments. The MSWA took exception and, in its appeal, said Pawar controlled and administered the association well for decades till WFI’s “arbitrary’ decision.
