Court Orders Trial in Sexual Harassment Case Against Former WFI Chief

The Rouse Avenue Court has directed the trial to commence for former MP and WFI Chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, accused of sexual harassment. The court has found sufficient material to proceed with charges under IPC sections 354, 354A, and 506. Witness statements will be recorded starting July 26.

The Rouse Avenue Court has scheduled the trial and recording of prosecution witnesses' statements in the sexual harassment case against former MP and WFI Chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and Vinod Tomar to begin on July 26. Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) Priyanka Rajpoot issued summons for two prosecution witnesses on Thursday.

In a related development, counsel for Singh, Advocate Rajiv Mohan, withdrew an application seeking the production of certain documents related to Singh's foreign travel and hotel stays. The court granted liberty to refile the application with more specific details. Charges were formally framed against Singh and Tomar on May 21, following a prior direction by the court on May 10.

The court had found sufficient evidence to proceed with charges under IPC sections 354 and 354A for the sexual harassment of five female wrestlers, and section 506 (Part 1) based on allegations by two women. However, Singh was discharged from allegations made by a sixth wrestler. Vinod Tomar also faces charges under section 506 (Part 1) on the allegation of one woman, but was discharged from other allegations.

Delhi Police have submitted a 1599-page chargesheet, including statements from 44 witnesses and photographic evidence from the events. The chargesheet states that Singh and Tomar are to be tried without arrest, as they complied with investigation directives under section 41A CrPC. The chargesheet also asserts that Singh is liable for prosecution and punishment for offenses including sexual harassment, molestation, and stalking.

This case originated from complaints lodged by several female wrestlers, leading to two FIRs on April 28. One FIR, under the POCSO Act, resulted in a cancellation report for a minor wrestler’s complaint. The other FIR, based on complaints from multiple wrestlers, led to the filing of a chargesheet against Singh under IPC sections 354, 354A, and 354D, and against Tomar under sections 109, 354, 354A, and 506.