New Delhi: A Delhi court on Friday framed charges of sexual harassment, stalking, outraging modesty of women and criminal intimidation against former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in the sexual harassment case lodged against him by six women wrestlers.
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Priyanka Rajpoot also discharged Singh in a complaint filed by one of the six women wrestlers. The court ordered the framing of a charge for criminal intimidation against Singh. It will formally frame the charges on May 21. It also ordered the framing of charges against co-accused and former WFI assistant secretary Vinod Tomar in the case.
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.
The Court of ACMM Priyanka Rajpoot had last month rejected Bhushan’s plea seeking further investigation in the case. The court had previously postponed filing charges against Bhushan because his attorney, Rajeev Mohan, had requested an additional inquiry into the matter, claiming in an appeal that he had not been in Delhi at the time of the alleged molestation of one of the six wrestlers.
In June of last year, Bhushan was charged by the Delhi Police for allegedly harassing, assaulting, and stalking six female wrestlers. Police included testimony from at least 22 witnesses—wrestlers, coaches, referees, and physiotherapists—from four states in their 1,500-page chargesheet. These witnesses supported the accusations made by the six female wrestlers against Singh.
Singh and his colleagues were among the 220 WFI staff members, wrestlers, referees, and coaches who were examined in the investigation.
Additionally, after the wrestler, who was underage at the time of the alleged incident, and her father, the complainant, withdrew their allegations against Singh in a new statement before a magistrate, the police filed a 550-page report in the Patiala House Courts, requesting cancellation of the POCSO (Protection of Children Against Sexual Offences) Act case against Singh. This came after she testified against the WFI chief twice, in front of a magistrate and the police.
Two FIRs were registered against Bhushan based on the wrestlers' complaints. One was registered under the POCSO Act and a cancellation report was also filed in the case of the minor wrestler.
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