New Delhi: The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) won its first round of battle against the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) last week, but its officials are still complaining. On May 24, a Delhi High Court bench dismissed a two-member ad hoc committee constituted by the IOA to look after the affairs of the WFI and instead appointed retired judge Justice J.K. Mehra to oversee the functioning of the body. The court has also vested all powers to Justice Mehra to conduct the elections of the WFI in the next three months.

At first, the WFI officials hailed the judgement as a victory for them against the ‘highhanded attitude’ of the IOA officials, but now they have another problem in hand. The Sports Authority of India (SAI), which kept the WFI office at the Indira Gandhi Stadium here under lock and key after IOA unrecognised the WFI last September, has so far not handed over the keys.

“We have been going there regularly, but the SAI officials are somehow avoiding us,” said Rajender Chaudhary, a former joint secretary of the WFI said. “Even today (Friday) our vice president Harpal Singh went to meet the SAI DG and waited for a few hours. The DG did not meet him.”

The WFI officials allege that SAI bosses are hand in gloves with the IOA, who do not want the WFI to function in a proper manner. “We have missed a series of international events because of IOA in the last few months, including the Asian championships,” said a WFI official. “Now if we don’t get the possession of the office, our preparations for the Doha Asian Games will be affected badly.”

Chaudhary said they will wait till next week for SAI to hand them over the keys of the office and then may submit a contempt of court petition.

SAI officials, however, said that they have just received the copy of the court order and will act accordingly after examining the court order.