Court Hears Testimony in Sexual Harassment Case Against Former BJP MP

Court Proceedings on Sexual Harassment Allegations

The Rouse Avenue Court has recorded the statement of a member from the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in the sexual harassment case involving former BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. The court has scheduled hearings for the investigation officer's testimony on May 15 and 19. Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Ashwani Panwar oversaw the recording of Inspector Sandeep's statement, who is part of the SIT investigating the allegations against Singh, the former president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), and Vinod Tomar.

Both Singh and Tomar are facing legal action related to accusations of sexual harassment against female wrestlers during their tenure at the WFI, both in India and abroad.

Protests by Female Wrestlers

In 2023, female wrestlers staged protests at Jantar Mantar, leading to the Delhi Police filing an FIR based on their complaints. Following the investigation, the police submitted a chargesheet against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and Vinod Tomar, with the prosecution's evidence nearing completion.

Meanwhile, speaking to the media outside the court, Brij Bhushan denied any involvement in the decisions made by the wrestling body after Vinish Phogat was disqualified from the national open ranking tournament held in Gonda. He refuted Phogat's allegations, asserting that the WFI has never barred any athlete from participating in tournaments.

Brij Bhushan's Response to Allegations

The former WFI president stated that he is currently focused on rectifying the issues caused by the allegations made by Phogat. He emphasized that decisions regarding the location of wrestling matches fall under the jurisdiction of the WFI. He noted that it is the federation's responsibility to determine where matches will take place and who will compete. Drawing from his experience as a former president of the WFI, he insisted that the organization is dedicated to supporting athletes and would provide reasons if any athlete was prevented from competing.