The Delhi High Court has refused to allow Olympian Vinesh Phogat to participate in the selection trials for the Senior World Wrestling Championships by granting her a special exemption from the Wrestling Federation of India’s eligibility rules, holding that carving out an exception for one athlete could be unfair to others and open a “Pandora’s box”.Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma declined Phogat’s plea for interim relief, saying the court could not effectively bypass the WFI’s September 7 selection policy in her individual case without first deciding whether the policy itself was legally valid.The trials begin on September 14, while the World Championships are scheduled to be held in Astana, Kazakhstan, from October 24 to November 1.At the heart of Phogat’s challenge is her absence from competitions prescribed by the WFI as qualifying events, an absence she says resulted from pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum recovery.The court acknowledged that her maternity-related circumstances would have to be examined while deciding the larger challenge to the selection framework. But that, it held, was not sufficient to give her a direct route into the trials at the interim stage.Until the validity and applicability of the policy were adjudicated, the eligibility conditions could not simply be disregarded for one wrestler, the Bench said.The court reasoned that other athletes across the country could be facing comparable circumstances but were not before it seeking exemptions.Granting Phogat alone a special dispensation could therefore result in unequal treatment and prompt other athletes to seek similar departures from the selection criteria.Such an order, Justice Sharma said, risked opening a “Pandora’s box”.The court consequently refused interim relief without expressing any final view either on the validity of the September 7 circular or the merits of the disciplinary proceedings pending against Phogat.The ruling came despite the Bench having raised larger concerns during arguments over how sporting bodies deal with women athletes returning after maternity breaks.During the hearing, Justice Sharma had orally called upon the WFI to consider guidelines enabling women to return to competitive sport after pregnancy and childbirth, observing that a balance had to be struck between the interests of an athlete and those of the country.In its order, however, the court emphasised another side of that balance, the country’s interest in ensuring that athletes representing India are selected through a fair, uniform and performance-based process.The WFI’s September 7 circular makes eligibility dependent upon participation in specified competitions held during 2025 and 2026.Phogat argued that she could not compete in some of those events because she was away from the sport during pregnancy, childbirth and subsequent recovery. She also contended that she had been prevented from participating in the Senior Open Ranking Tournament at Gonda after the WFI issued a show-cause notice declaring her ineligible.The High Court examined Phogat’s recent competitive history as well.A Division Bench had earlier permitted her to participate in the Asian Games selection trials in May. Phogat competed in the 53kg category and reached the semifinals but was ultimately not selected for the Asian Games.A subsequent show-cause notice concerning allegations of misconduct during those trials remains pending.Justice Sharma noted that the latest eligibility criteria were applicable uniformly to wrestlers and hadnot been framed specifically to exclude Phogat.