New Delhi, May 19 -- The Delhi high court on Monday refused to permit wrestler Vinesh Phogat to participate in the 2026 Asian Games selection trials scheduled to be held on May 30 and 31. A bench led by Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav observed that Vinesh Phogat had already been declared ineligible to participate in domestic competitions and, therefore, no interim relief could be granted in her petition challenging the Wrestling Federation of India's (WFI's) Asian Games election policy and May 9 notice barring her from competing in domestic events, including the National Open Ranking tournament, until June 26. According to the Wrestling Federation of India's February 25 policy and its May 6 circular, only medal winners from the 2025 Senior National Wrestling Championship, the 2026 Senior Federation Cup, the 2026 Under-20 National Wrestling Championship, and the Under-23 National Wrestling Championship would be eligible to participate in the Asian Games selection trials, provided these championships were conducted before the trials. The May 6 notice specifically stated that past performance would not be considered. In its May 9 notice, the WFI accused Phogat of indiscipline and violations related to anti-doping regulations. The federation stated that she had not completed the mandatory six-month notice period required for athletes returning from retirement under United World Wrestling anti-doping rules. The bench said that while it appreciated Phogat was on maternity leave, on the other hand, the national interest needs to be looked at as well. "For the interim relief, there is hardly any time. She has already been held ineligible; how can we grant you that relief without hearing the other side? Unnecessarily, there is no point in allowing you to participate and then tell you that it was a nullity," the bench said to Phogat's lawyer Rajshekhar Rao. It added, "Mr Rao, in that case, the policy will have to be looked into. The competing interest, we appreciate that one has to undergo the situation that the petitioner has undergone, but at the same time, the national interest will have to be..Therefore, let them file a reply. We will consider it." He argued that although she had been permitted in April to register for Senior Open Ranking tournament held in Gonda on May 10 and 11, she was served a notice on May 9, a day before the event, and was subsequently barred from participating upon reaching the venue. Rao contended that the tournament was her only opportunity this year to prove her capabilities. He further submitted that the qualification window coincided with her notified sabbatical, return-to-training period, pregnancy-related break, and post-partum recovery. The court, however, permitted Phogat to file a comprehensive response to the May 9 notice and asked the WFI to take a final decision on the notice before the court heard the petition next on July 6. "Mr Rao submits that on May 9, a show cause notice has been issued to the petitioner by the WFI. The petitioner is granted time to file a comprehensive reply to the show cause notice. The WFI in the meantime, is directed to take a finaldecision on the show cause notice before the next date of hearing," the court said in the order....