Delhi court orders framing of sexual harassment charges against Brij Bhushan Singh in case by female wrestlers

A Delhi court on Friday ordered framing of sexual harassment charges against former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Singh in a case lodged against him by female wrestlers.

The court said that it has found sufficient material to frame charges against Brij Bhushan for harassment of five female wrestlers.

The court said, "Charges were framed against Brij Bhushan under sections 354 and 354A in respect of each victim."

Meanwhile, the court acquitted Brij Bhushan of the charges levied by the sixth wrestler.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Priyanka Rajpoot passed the judgment after adjourning the court on Tuesday citing corrections required in the order.

The court also framed charges against the second accused Vinod Tomar under section 506 (part 1) of the IPC on the allegation of one woman and discharged him with the rest allegations made against him. The court has now listed the matter for official framing of charges on May 21.

Last year, on June 15, the Delhi Police filed a chargesheet against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and Vinod Tomar.

This chargesheet said that both Singh and Tomar are being charged with crimes but they were not arrested because they cooperated with the investigation as per the law.

The chargesheet accused them of offences 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 IPC. It mentioned that Tomar is accused of helping to commit the crime. Therefore, he is also facing trial for his involvement under certain sections of the IPC.

The chargesheet is a big document, consisting of 1599 pages. It includes statements from 44 people who witnessed or had information about the incident.

In addition to written statements, the chargesheet also contains pictures, including one taken during the events in question.

According to the chargesheet, after looking into complaints from six top wrestlers, Singh appears to have committed acts of sexual harassment, molestation, and stalking.

(With inputs from Agencies)