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A Magistrate court in Delhi on Monday, August 3, acquitted Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) head, Brij Bhushan Charan Singh, in a case of sexual harassment filed by women wrestlers. The prosecution has reportedly said that once the acquittal order and judgement are received, the verdict will be challenged before higher courts.
Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) Ashwini Panwar also acquitted Vinod Tomar, the former assistant secretary of the WFI, accused of abetment and criminal intimidation in the case.
The wrestlers were represented by senior advocate Rebecca John, and Advocate Rajiv Mohan represented Brih Bhushan.
According to reports, it was an “honourable acquittal”. Honourable acquittal refers to an acquittal that completely exonerates the accused, where the court finds that the prosecution has failed to prove the charges and the accused is fully cleared of all blame or suspicion.
The case was based on complaints by six women wrestlers, alleging sexual harassment, abuse of power, and intimidation. However, Brij Bhushan was discharged from the charges in the case of the sixth complainant, who was a minor, after she withdrew her allegations.
The Delhi Police had filed the chargesheet against Brij Bhushan under Sections 354 (outraging modesty of a woman), 354A(sexual harassment), 354D (stalking) and 506(1) (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.
Several renowned wrestlers, including Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia, and Sangeeta Phogat, had protested for months in New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar in 2023, demanding the arrest of the BJP leader for allegedly sexually harassing several women wrestlers during 2016 and 2019. They alleged that the harassment occurred at the WFI office, and also extended during their official trips for tournaments.
The Delhi police detained the protesting wrestlers on the day of the inauguration of the new Parliament building in 2023, following which they announced that they would immerse their medals in the Ganga River in protest. Thereafter, they went on an indefinite hunger strike, demanding government action.
