The Bombay High Court has dismissed an appeal on Monday (June 15, 2026) filed by the Maharashtra State Wrestling Association (MSWA), which is headed by NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, challenging its de-affiliation from the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI). A division Bench of Justice Bharati Dangre and Justice Manjusha Deshpande passed the order, upholding the WFI’s decision to replace the MSWA with the Maharashtra Rajya Kustigir Sangh (MRKS).

The WFI had de-affiliated the MSWA on January 1, 2023. In its petition, the MSWA contended that the decision to de-affiliate it was taken by the Oversight Committee and not the Executive Committee, and termed the move as arbitrary. The court, however, did not find merit in the association’s arguments.

This dismissal follows a previous order by the High Court in November 2022, where Justice Sandeep Shinde had set aside the WFI’s decision to dissolve the MSWA’s elected body. In that order, Justice Shinde had observed that the WFI’s Executive Committee decision was made without following principles of natural justice and behind the back of the association. The court had then permitted the elected body to continue its functions until the end of its tenure.

The MSWA had earlier argued that the WFI’s national executive committee, headed by then BJP MP Brijbhushan Sharan Singh, in a meeting on June 30, 2022, decided to dissolve the MSWA committee. The reason cited was the failure to conduct certain tournaments. The MSWA had stated that this action was arbitrary.

The recent appeal against the de-affiliation was heard by the division Bench, which has now dismissed the petition. A detailed copy of the order is yet to be made available.

MSWA was represented by Senior Advocates Darius Khambata and Sharan Jagtiani along with Advocates Gaurav Mehta, Sankalp Sharma, Priyank Kapadia, Dixita Gohil, and Pranjal Agarwal, briefed by Gohil Agarwal Law Chambers.