India
oi-Prakash KL
Former BJP MP and ex-Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and co-accused Vinod Tomar have been acquitted by the Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi in the alleged sexual harassment case.
Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Ashwini Panwar delivered the verdict on Monday. The entry of journalists inside the courtroom was barred, according to a report in Live Law.
Former BJP MP and ex-WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and co-accused Vinod Tomar were acquitted by the Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi in the alleged sexual harassment case.
The case dates back to early 2023, when six female wrestlers accused Singh of inappropriate behaviour. Their complaints forced the Delhi Police to register an FIR against the veteran politician. The charges levelled against him included outraging modesty, passing sexually coloured remarks, stalking, and criminal intimidation.
Police had filed a formal chargesheet in June 2023. Around the same time, a separate complaint from a minor wrestler also came up, but she later chose to withdraw it. That part of the case, which involved child protection laws, was eventually closed.
The issue had drawn the national and international media attention as well-known wrestlers including Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, and Bajrang Punia had joined the protests.
In May last year, the trial court had found enough evidence to proceed against Singh and framed specific charges. But after hearing both sides and going through the material on record, the judge concluded that the prosecution failed to prove its allegations.
As the court passed the verdict, crackers were burst at Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh’s residence by his supporters.
In his first reaction after getting clean chit from the court, Bhushan Sharan Singh told ANI, “… I said this was a conspiracy, and if any of the allegations against me are found to be true, I will hang myself. To this day, I’ve stood by that statement. Today, after almost three years, the court has honorably acquitted me and Vinod… I always stood up for those who were weak, those whose rights were violated… I had complete faith that justice would be done to me, and I never felt guilty… We were fighting for the junior athletes whose rights were being violated, and I am happy that we won that fight…”
