Brij Bhushan Singh: On Friday, the Rouse Avenue court in Delhi issued a directive to proceed with the formal framing of charges against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the former chief of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) and a BJP MP. This decision comes in response to the sexual harassment allegations lodged against him by six women wrestlers.
The court has scheduled the official framing of charges for May 21, 2024.
In her ruling, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Priyanka Rajpoot stated that there is ample evidence implicating Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in the sexual harassment allegations brought forth by five women wrestlers, thus warranting the charges against him.
Nevertheless, the court acquitted the BJP MP of the sexual harassment accusations made by the sixth female wrestler. In addition to framing charges against the incumbent MP from Kaiserganj, the court specified that charges under Section 506 (part 1) have also been instituted against him, stemming from the allegations of two women.
The court further directed the framing of charges for criminal intimidation (Section 506 of IPC) and the use of force to outrage women’s modesty against former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Singh.
“About each victim, charges under sections 354 (outraging a woman’s modesty) and 354A (sexual harassment) have been framed against Brij Bhushan,” stated the Court.
The Delhi Court also mandated the framing of charges against former WFI assistant secretary Vinod Tomar under Section 506 (sexual harassment) of IPC in the case brought by the women wrestlers.
Responding to the Delhi court’s decision to frame charges against him, the BJP MP remarked, “At first glance, the court has indeed framed charges today. Except in one case, charges have been framed in the other cases. I appreciate the judiciary’s decision, and now opportunities have arisen for me…
A previous request to include coach Vijender‘s Call Detail Records (CDR) in relation to an alleged incident at the WFI headquarters in New Delhi was made by Brij Bhushan to the court. Singh asserted that he was not present in Delhi on the mentioned date but was in Serbia on September 7, 2022.
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On June 15, the Delhi Police filed a charge sheet against Singh, a six-time MP, under sections 354 (assault or criminal force to a woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 354A (sexual harassment), 354D (stalking), and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.