New Delhi, February 22 (HS): Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court has adjourned the hearing of the case against former president of the Indian Wrestling Federation and BJP leader Brijbhushan Sharan Singh in the case of sexual harassment of women wrestlers. The hearing has been postponed due to non-availability of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Priyanka Rajput. The next hearing of the case will be on March 3.

Statements of witnesses are being recorded in this case. Statements of some female wrestlers have also been recorded. On 26 July 2024, the court recorded the statements of a constable related to the investigation of the case.

The court had ordered framing of charges against Brijbhushan Sharan Singh on 10 May 2024. The court ordered the framing of charges against Brijbhushan Sharan Singh on the charges leveled by five out of the six women wrestlers while acquitting Brijbhushan Sharan Singh on the charges of one of the women wrestlers. The court had ordered the framing of charges under sections 354, 354A and 506 of the Indian Penal Code against Brijbhushan Sharan Singh in the case of sexual abuse of five female wrestlers. The court had ordered the framing of charges under Section 506 of the Indian Penal Code against Vinod Tomar, a co-accused and former Secretary of the Indian Wrestling Federation.

The Rouse Avenue Court on 26 April 2024 dismissed the petition of Brijbhushan Sharan Singh, in which Brijbhushan sought re-investigation of the case. On April 18, 2024, a petition was filed on behalf of Brijbhushan Sharan Singh, stating that he was not in India on September 7, 2022, the day of the incident. Brijbhushan had demanded that the Delhi Police order an investigation into the fact, which was rejected by the court.

The court granted bail to Brijbhushan Sharan Singh and co-accused Vinod Tomar on 20 July 2023. On July 7, 2023, the court took cognizance of the charge sheet filed by the Delhi Police. On June 15, 2023, the Delhi Police filed a charge sheet in the Rouse Avenue Court. In the chargesheet, charges have been made under Sections 354, 354D, 354A and 506 (1) of the Indian Penal Code.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar