Delhi High Court directs consideration of wrestler Deepak for Asian Games squad

Greco-Roman wrestler Deepak may travel to Japan for the 2026 Asian Games after the Delhi High Court on Tuesday (September 23, 2026) issued an order in his favour. He had been removed from the Indian squad after testing positive for the banned substance Clomiphene.

The court took into account that Deepak was not provisionally suspended for the adverse analytical finding reported by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA). It directed relevant authorities, including the Government, to “consider” Deepak’s name and give “permissible relief” as per existing policy within three days. The order was issued in response to Deepak’s petition.

The Delhi High Court specifically instructed the authorities to “consider” whether to reinstate Deepak to the contingent. The bench also ordered that any “permissible relief” afforded should follow existing policy. The timeframe set by the court for those actions was three days.

The wrestling squad is set to leave for Japan on September 26. The ruling was handed down on Tuesday (September 23, 2026). The court made clear it passed the order solely on the basis of Deepak’s petition.

Deepak competes in the Greco-Roman 67kg category. The adverse analytical finding in his case was reported by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA). The report was published on September 23, 2026, 02:40 am IST from Kolkata.

Authorities, including the Government, have three days to consider Deepak’s inclusion and grant any “permissible relief” under existing policy; the wrestling contingent is scheduled to depart for Japan on September 26.