A Delhi court has ordered the framing of charges against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and current BJP Member of Parliament, in a sexual harassment case filed by six female wrestlers. The order was passed by Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Priyanka Rajpoot, who also discharged Singh in a complaint filed by one of the six women wrestlers.
"This court has found sufficient material on record to frame charges against accused no. 1 Brij Bhushan Saran Singh for the offences under Section 354, 354A of Indian Penal Code regarding victims no. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5," the court stated while pronouncing the order. Additionally, the court found enough evidence to frame charges against Singh for criminal intimidation under Section 506 Part 1 of the IPC with respect to victims no. 1 and 5. However, Singh was discharged in the allegations levelled by victim no. 6.
Regarding the co-accused, former WFI assistant secretary Vinod Tomar, the court framed charges under Section 506 Part 1 of the IPC regarding victim no. 1, while discharging him of the remaining allegations.
The matter has been listed for the official framing of charges on May 21.
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Delhi Police Chargesheet On WFI Sexual Harassment Case
The case stems from a charge sheet filed by the Delhi Police on June 15 last year, which included 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 against Singh, who is a six-time MP.
Singh had previously sought further investigation and the placement of a Call Detail Record (CDR) of a coach, claiming he was not in Delhi during the alleged incident but in Serbia on September 7, 2022. However, the court dismissed this application.
The Delhi Police chargesheet, comprising 1599 pages and statements from 44 witnesses, including six recorded under CrPC 164, alleges that based on the investigation, Singh is "liable to be prosecuted and punished for offences" of sexual harassment, molestation, and stalking. The charge sheet also includes photographic evidence, including images taken during the events.
The charges against Singh and Tomar were filed following complaints by women wrestlers, leading to two FIRs being registered against Singh, one under the POCSO Act and another on the complaint of several wrestlers.