In a significant development, a Delhi court on Friday dismissed BJP MP and former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh’s plea seeking further investigation in the sexual harassment case. The case was filed by women wrestlers. Singh had contended that he was out of the country on the date of the alleged incident.
What did the court say?
Rejecting the plea, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Priyanka Rajpoot scheduled May 7 for a decision on whether to formally charge Singh in the case. Singh's legal representative argued that the Delhi Police based their investigation on the Call Detail Records (CDR) of the coach accompanying the complainant. They asserted that the alleged incident took place at the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) office on September 7, 2022, as per the records. However, the CDR has not been placed on record by police, the counsel claimed.
Chargesheet against Singh
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. Police had also charged Vinod Tomar, the suspended assistant secretary of the WFI, in the case.
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