Will speak to govt, take legal advice over suspension of panel, says WFI chief Sanjay Singh

New Delhi: Sanjay Singh, a close aide of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh whose election as president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has triggered another storm in Indian sports, has claimed that he will take legal advice against the suspension of his panel by the sports ministry a couple of days back.

Singh, whose panel was suspended by the Sports Ministry a few days after his election after he announced that the U-15 and U-12 women's nationals would be organised in Gonda, Uttar Pradesh, said he will first talk to the central government before seeking legal advice.

Singh, a close aide of Brij Bhushan, who is accused of sexual harassment of young wrestlers, claimed that the decision to hold under-15 and under-20 nationals was taken to ensure that the future of the young wrestlers is not ruined.

The Union sports ministry, while suspending the panel, had termed this decision "hasty" and said that it was taken "without following the provisions of the constitution of WFI".

"We will speak to the government first and, if that does not work, I will take legal advice to save my federation. The allegation is that we decided to hold the nationals in haste, but it was decided upon after meeting the quorum requirements. The annual general meeting was held and every state had two delegates present for voting," Singh told a section of the media in Varanasi.

The under-fire WFI chief said the meeting was adjourned after the elections and continued later at a hotel.

"The delegates of all states decided that if the national championships were not held in this calendar year, the future of the wrestlers would be ruined. The certificates that they get are used by them for admissions and jobs, and that is why the decision was taken," he was quoted as saying by NDTV.

On the controversy over picking Nandini Nagar in Gonda district, a stronghold of the former WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, and claimed that it town has six mats that are necessary to organise an event of such stature.