Delhi Court Orders Framing Of Charges Against Brij Bhushan In Sexual Harassment Case

A Delhi court has ordered the framing of charges against former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh the sexual harassment case lodged against them by six women wrestlers against him.

Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court on Friday said that it found sufficient material to frame charges against Brij Bhushan in five of the six cases. The court, however, dismissed the sixth case against him.

Charges will be framed against the accused under sections 354 and 354D of the Indian Penal Code (assault of criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) in reaming five cases, the court said.

Charges were also framed against the second accused, Vinod Tomar, under section 506 (part 1) of the IPC on the allegation of one woman and discharged him with the rest allegations made against him. Tomar is the suspended assistant secretary of the WFI.

The court has now listed the matter for framing of charges on May 21. On the next date, the accused would be appraised of the charges against him and would then inform the court whether he would plead guilty or claim trial on these charges.

The court had earlier dismissed an application filed by Singh, seeking time for making further submissions on the charges and for further investigation. Singh had claimed that he was not in India on the date of one of the incidents, where a complainant alleged that she was harassed at the WFI office.

Singh’s counsel had claimed that the Delhi Police had relied upon the call detail records (CDR) of the coach who had accompanied the complainant and stated that they had gone to the WFI on September 7, 2022, where she was allegedly molested. However, the CDR has not been placed on record by the police, the counsel had claimed.

The counsel had further claimed that Singh was not in the country on the date when the offence was alleged.

The city police had filed a charge sheet in the case against Singh, a six-time MP, on June 15 under sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 354A (sexual harassment), 354D (stalking) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC.

Protesting Wrestlers Welcomes Court’s Verdict

Star grapplers Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia on Friday welcomed the Delhi court’s decision to frame sexual harassment charges against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, calling it a big victory for the country’s women wrestlers.

“This is a big victory for the struggle of women wrestlers,” Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist Bajrang, one of the leading faces in the protest against Singh, wrote on ‘X’.

“The daughters of the country have had to go through such difficult times, but this decision will provide relief. Those who trolled women wrestlers should also be ashamed. Satyamev Jayate,” he added.

Rio Olympic bronze medallist Sakshee Malikkh, who retired after a faction led by Brij Bhushan’s close aide Sanjay Singh, was elected to head the federation in December last year, said the verdict was a step forward to the long struggle of protesting athletes.

“…We thank the honorable court. We had to sleep on the streets for many nights in the heat and rain, had to give up on our stable careers, only then have we been able to take a few steps forward in the fight for justice,” Malikkh, one of the leading faces in the protest against Singh, wrote on ‘X’.

“Heartfelt gratitude to those who showered love and blessings and may God bless those who trolled and said bad things. Long live Mother India.”

She also called for the removal of Brij Bhushan’s close aide Sanjay Singh as WFI chief.

“Another thing which will not be acceptable to us till the end is that Sanjay Singh remains the President of the Wrestling Federation since he is a close aide of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. We fought against sexual harassment in the federation but the purpose was not solved. With the charges being framed against him, we have hope that there will be no more harassment in wrestling,” she said.

The trio of Sakshi, Bajrang and Vinesh Phogat were the prominent faces during the year-long protest which started in January 2023 at Jantar Mantar in the national capital.

Following months of protests, the Delhi Police had filed a charge sheet in the case against Singh on June 15 under sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 354A (sexual harassment), 354D (stalking) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.

(With PTI Inputs)

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