Brij Bhushan Singh tried to humiliate the modesty of female wrestlers: Delhi Police to court

• Image Credit: Google

• Sep 24, 2023 | Dhupali Das

The Delhi Police had filed the chargesheet against the six-time Member of Parliament on June 15, charging him under...

Digital Desk: The legal battle against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former President of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, escalated as the Delhi Police told the Rouse Avenue court on Saturday that Singh had consistently "outraged the modesty" of the women wrestlers who had accused him of sexual harassment. The court was convened to discuss the framing of charges against Singh following the filing of a chargesheet in the case involving six women wrestlers.

During the proceedings, Additional Public Prosecutor Atul Srivastava, representing the Delhi Police, asserted that Singh's actions were deliberate and aimed at outraging the modesty of the wrestlers. He highlighted three critical pieces of evidence supporting the case: a written complaint and two recorded statements under Sections 161 (examination of witnesses by the police) and 164 (statements recorded by a Magistrate) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).

Srivastava further argued that the court had the authority to frame charges against Brij Bhushan Singh, refuting the defense's claim that Section 188 of the CrPC required sanction for cases occurring outside India. He cited a previous judgment to assert that sanction was necessary only if all offenses took place abroad, while the incidents in question had occurred both in Delhi and other locations.

Brij Bhushan Singh's defense attorney, Advocate Rajiv Mohan, had earlier contended that the Delhi court lacked jurisdiction in cases involving events outside the country without prior sanction.

Additionally, Srivastava emphasized that all witnesses in the case had affirmed that co-accused Vinod Tomar had aided and facilitated Singh's actions. Tomar, who was previously suspended as the former additional secretary of the WFI, had been closely associated with Singh and managed the day-to-day affairs of the wrestling body.

The Delhi Police had filed the chargesheet against the six-time Member of Parliament on June 15, charging him under Sections 354 (assault or criminal force to a woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 354A (sexual harassment), 354D (stalking), and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

On July 20, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Harjeet Singh Jaspal granted bail to Brij Bhushan Singh and suspended WFI additional secretary Vinod Tomar. As the legal proceedings unfold, the case remains a focal point in the ongoing discussion of women's safety and harassment within sports organizations in India.