Delhi court grants bail to WFI's Brij Bhushan, Vinod Tomar
Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court on Friday granted bail to Wrestling Federation of India's (WFI) outgoing chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and the WFI's now-suspended assistant secretary Vinod Tomar in a sexual harassment case on a personal bond of Rs. 25,000 each. The court scheduled the next hearing in the matter for July 28. They were granted interim bail for two days on Tuesday.
Why does this story matter?
Six prominent women wrestlers have accused Singh of sexual harassment, stalking, and criminal intimidation. With support from opposition parties and other citizen groups, the protesting wrestlers held an agitation from January to June, demanding action against Singh, who is a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Uttar Pradesh's Kaiserganj. The delay in action against Singh prompted accusations that the ruling BJP was protecting him.
Accused approached witnesses from time to time: Complainants' counsel
The court reserved its order earlier in the day. The counsel appearing for the complainants said, "Bail should not be granted. If at all it is granted, strict conditions must be imposed. Witnesses have been approached from time to time, no threat though." When the court asked the prosecutor if he opposed the bail plea, he said, "I am neither opposing, nor supporting."
15 witnesses have corroborated wrestlers' claims
The Delhi Police submitted a 1,500-page chargesheet against the accused, charging them under Section 506 (criminal intimidation), Section 354 (outraging modesty of a woman), Section 354A (sexual harassment), and Section 354D (stalking) of the Indian Penal Code. The chargesheet reportedly contains statements from around 108 people, among whom around 15 witnesses have reportedly corroborated the wrestlers' claims.
Didn't arrest accused as they cooperated: Delhi Police
Earlier, the Delhi Police said it didn't arrest the accused because they cooperated with the investigation. The police cited the Supreme Court's ruling in previous cases stating that the accused in an offense punishable up to seven years should not be arrested. The report of the oversight committee, which was probing the allegations, is part of the chargesheet but hasn't been made public separately.
