WFI Sexual Harassment Case: Delhi Court Rejects BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh's Plea For Further Probe

A Delhi court dismissed BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh's request for further investigation in a sexual harassment case, setting a hearing for May 7 to consider charges against him.

File Photo of former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh

Source : PTI

A Delhi court has 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. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Priyanka Rajpoot, while dismissing the application, has fixed May 7 for an order on whether to frame charges against Singh in the case, news agency PTI reported.

Singh had moved the application seeking time for additional submissions on charges and for further investigation, citing his absence from India on the date of one of the incidents alleged by a complainant to have occurred at the WFI office. Singh's counsel contended that Delhi Police had relied on the call detail records (CDR) of the coach accompanying the complainant, indicating their visit to the WFI office on September 7, 2022, where the alleged molestation took place. However, the counsel claimed that the CDR had not been submitted as evidence by the police, PTI's report stated.

Delhi Police had filed a charge sheet in the case against Singh, a six-time MP, 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 police had also charged Vinod Tomar, the suspended assistant secretary of the WFI, in connection with the case.

Brij Bhushan Singh's Plea To Include CDR On Record

Earlier, on April 18, the Rouse Avenue court had reserved an order on Singh's application. Singh, who is a former Chief of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), had sought a direction to include the call detail records (CDRs) of coach Vijender regarding an alleged incident at the WFI office in New Delhi. He also requested an investigation into his travel document, claiming he was not in Delhi on the mentioned date but in Serbia, ANI reported.

During the proceedings, Additional Public Prosecutor (APP) Atul Srivastav highlighted the significance of the CDR, stating, "On analysis of CDR, it was found that the location of the coach was in the same area where the WFI office is situated," as quoted by ANI.

Advocate Rajiv Mohan, representing Singh, argued for the verification of travel documents filed with the police and urged for the CDR to be placed on record. However, the counsel for the complainant deemed this a delaying tactic, "If the CDR is so important, that could be asked for earlier". He further contended that the victim had submitted that she didn't remember the exact date, but the incident happened at the WFI office.

In response to the delay in filing the application, Singh's counsel argued for the importance of verifying the CDR to confirm Singh's whereabouts. The court questioned the timing of the application, considering the delay aspect, ANI's report stated.

The APP raised legal questions about the filing of the application at this stage, while Singh's counsel reiterated the importance of the CDR and its reliance on documents. "If the date is confirmed by the CDR, then the travel document gains importance. It should be verified whether he was in India or not. CDR relies on documents," he said, as per the report.

The victim is claimed to have said she visited the WFI office with coach Vijender on September 7, 2022. Brij Bhushan Singh contended that he was in Serbia on that day and submitted a copy of the page of his passport carrying an immigration stamp for that date, ANI reported.