Indian wrestler Bajrang Punia has taken legal action against the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA), moving to the Delhi High Court to challenge his suspension ahead of the Senior World Wrestling Championships scheduled for October in Albania. Punia’s suspension, initiated by NADA on June 21, marks his second such penalty this year and has rendered him ineligible to train or participate in any competitions.
The suspension follows a series of events that began with an initial suspension on April 23, when Punia allegedly refused to provide a urine sample during selection trials in Sonepat on March 10. Despite the Anti-Disciplinary Doping (ADDP) panel revoking his earlier suspension due to NADA’s failure to issue a “notice of charge,” the agency re-imposed the suspension, citing new grounds.
In his petition, represented by lawyer Vidushpat Singhania, Punia argues that the suspension infringes on his constitutional rights to practice his profession and earn a livelihood. He claims that NADA’s actions were arbitrary and violated testing guidelines and protocols, including the use of expired test kits.
“The present petition is filed…by the Petitioner being aggrieved inter alia, by the illegal conduct of the Respondent i.e., the National Anti-Doping Agency of India whilst undertaking the sample collection of the Petitioner by using expired test kits and subsequently suspending him on arbitrary grounds,” stated the plea.
Punia, a prominent figure in last year’s protest at Jantar Mantar demanding the arrest of then WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh over alleged sexual harassment issues, expressed that this suspension could force him into retirement. The plea highlights the crucial timing of the championships in Albania, describing it as potentially the last major event he could participate in for the next two years.
He seeks the court’s intervention to suspend or quash the June 21 suspension order, which he claims was passed “without application of mind and without even considering the explanations and evidence” presented by him.
