Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court took cognisance of the Delhi Police’s charge-sheet against former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and BJP MP, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh on Friday, in a case filed by six adult women wrestlers where the charges included outraging modesty and criminal intimidation. On the same day, the Delhi High Court allowed a minor wrestler to withdraw her plea of sexual harassment against Mr. Singh.
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Harjeet Singh Jaspal issued a summons to Mr. Singh and his co-accused, Vinod Tomar, to appear before the Rouse Avenue court on July 18, set as the next date of hearing in the sexual harassment case as both the accused reside in Delhi.
On June 15, the Delhi police had filed a 1,000-page charge sheet against Mr. Singh and Mr. Tomar, which includes the testimonies of witnesses, victims and other concerned persons. The detailed summons order stated that, after hearing the submissions and carefully considering the police report along with its annexed documents, including the statements of the victims, the court took cognisance of the offences committed under Sections 354 (outraging modesty), 354A (sexually coloured remarks) and 354D (stalking), 506 (para 1) (criminal intimidation) and 109 (abetment to offense) of the Indian Penal Code.
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Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court allowed a minor wrestler, one of the seven female grapplers who had accused Mr. Singh of sexual harassment, to withdraw a plea relating to hearing of the matter by a competent court. The issue arose as the cases related to sexual offences against minors have to be heard by a special court set up under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The minor wrestler’s lawyer told the High Court that, in view of the cancellation report filed by the Delhi Police before the trial court, the plea in the High Court had become infructuous.
Several Olympic and World Championship medal-winning wrestlers, including Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia, and Sangeeta Phogat, protested for months in New Delhi demanding the arrest of Mr. Singh for allegedly sexually harassing several women grapplers, including a minor.
The police only filed an FIR against the accused BJP MP after the intervention of the Supreme Court last month. Sensing a further delay in the investigation, the wrestlers had threatened to immerse their medals in the river Ganga. Sports Minister Anurag Thakur met the wrestlers and assured them his full support and protection, after which the protest was suspended.
