The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports threatened legal action against Sanjay Singh, president of the currently-suspended Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), on Tuesday if he, or any other elected members, continued to make 'unsubstantiated claims regarding the status of the WFI.'

In an interview published in The Indian Express on Tuesday, Singh claimed that he is confident that the government will revoke the suspension of the federation, and he will return in his capacity as president 'within 10 days.'

Singh was speaking on the sidelines of a Senior Nationals competition in Pune that was conducted in defiance of orders from the Sports Ministry. He also said that 'those who go for the Olympics will be from the Pune Nationals only.'

The official notice from the ministry stated that any competition organised by the suspended federation will be treated as 'unsanctioned /unrecognised' and that only the ad-hoc committee appointed by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) had the power to hold nationally-recognised tournaments. The ad-hoc panel has decided to hold its nationals in Jaipur from February 2-5.

'Based on an interview of yourself given to a national newspaper, published on 30.01.24, certain completely baseless statements have emerged which are causing confusion and anxiety among the athletes and others concerned with wrestling,' the notice also stated.

'Please be advised that failure to adhere to this caution may compel the Ministry to consider further legal action including, but not limited to, legal proceedings for spreading misinformation and unsubstantiated claims and any other relevant charges as per the laws of the country,' it went on to say.