Sexual harassment: Court dismisses Brij Bhushan's plea seeking further probe

A Delhi court on Friday, 26 April, dismissed an application filed by former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh seeking further investigation into a sexual harassment case lodged by six female wrestlers against him.

While dismissing the application, additional chief metropolitan magistrate (ACMM) Priyanka Rajpoot fixed 7 May for an order on whether to frame charges against Singh in the case.

Singh had moved the application seeking time to make further submissions on charges and for further investigation, saying that he was not in India on the date of one of the incidents wherein a complainant alleged that she was harassed at the WFI office.

Singh's counsel claimed that Delhi Police had relied on the call detail records (CDR) of the coach who had accompanied the complainant and stated that they had gone to the WFI office on 7 September 2022, where she was allegedly molested.

However, the CDR has not been placed on record by police, the counsel claimed.

Delhi Police had filed a charge sheet in the case against Singh, a six-time MP, on 15 June 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.

Police had also charged Vinod Tomar, the suspended assistant secretary of the WFI, in the case.