Delhi court orders framing of charges against BJP's Brij Bhushan
A Delhi court has ordered the framing of charges against Bharatiya Janata Party MP and former Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in the sexual harassment allegations leveled against him by six wrestlers. The Court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Priyanka Rajpoot, stated that there was sufficient material to frame charges against Singh. The charges will be framed under Sections 354 (outraging a woman's modesty), 354-A (sexual harassment), and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.
Specific charges against Singh detailed by court
Singh, however, has been cleared of all allegations made by the sixth victim, whose allegations date back to 2012. Additionally, the court found evidence against him for offenses under Section 506(1) (criminal intimidation) related to allegations made by two victims. The court also framed charges against the other accused, Vinod Tomar, under Section 506(1) in relation to one of the victims. He was acquitted of other offenses. Tomar, Singh's aide, was the assistant secretary of the WFI.
Court dismisses Singh's plea for further investigation
Last month, ACMM Rajpoot rejected Singh's plea seeking further investigation into the case. This followed a previous deferral of framing of charges against him as his advocate, Rajeev Mohan, had sought further investigation. Mohan claimed that Singh, who was the WFI chief when the alleged harassment took place, was not in Delhi when one of the wrestlers was allegedly molested. The Delhi Police filed a 1,500-page chargesheet against Singh in June last year for alleged sexual harassment, assault, and stalking.
Chargesheet included statements from at least 22 witnesses
The chargesheet included statements from at least 22 witnesses across four states who corroborated the allegations made by the six women wrestlers against Singh. The police also filed a 550-page report in the Patiala House Court, requesting cancellation of the Protection of Children Against Sexual Offences Act case against him. This request came after a minor wrestler and her father withdrew their allegations against Singh. The decision on the POCSO cancellation report is still awaited.
