4 Wrestlers Challenge Brij Bhushan Acquittal, Take 2023 Sexual Harassment Case Back To Court
Four women wrestlers on Friday moved a sessions court challenging the acquittal of former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in a sexual harassment case, keeping alive a legal battle that began with the wrestlers’ high-profile protests in 2023.
The appeal challenges the August 3 order of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Ashwini Panwar, who acquitted Singh and former WFI assistant secretary Vinod Tomar. The matter is likely to come up before Special Judge Dig Vinay Singh on Saturday.
In their plea, the wrestlers have termed the acquittal order “erroneous and unsustainable in law” and challenged the trial court’s assessment of the evidence.
The August 3 verdict came after more than three years of proceedings. The court had found that the prosecution failed to establish the charges beyond reasonable doubt. Its judgment pointed to contradictions and discrepancies in the complainants’ accounts, including differences concerning the time and place of certain alleged incidents.
The court also considered the complainants’ alleged delay in reporting some incidents and their continued interactions with Singh as circumstances that created reasonable doubt. Two complainants did not support the prosecution case during the trial.
The case dates back to 2023, when six women wrestlers accused Singh, then WFI chief and a BJP MP, of sexual harassment. The allegations triggered prolonged protests at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, involving prominent wrestlers including Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia.
Delhi Police subsequently filed a chargesheet against Singh and Tomar. In May 2024, the trial court framed charges against Singh concerning five complainants.
Friday’s appeal does not automatically overturn the acquittal. The sessions court will first examine the challenge and decide whether the matter warrants further judicial proceedings, potentially putting the contentious case under fresh scrutiny.