New Delhi, 02 July (H.S.): A Delhi court on Thursday reserved its order in the sexual harassment case filed by women wrestlers against former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and former WFI secretary Vinod Tomar. Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Ashwini Panwar directed that the order will be pronounced on August 3.

Senior advocate Rebecca John appeared on behalf of the complainant women wrestlers, while advocate Rajiv Mohan represented Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and Vinod Tomar during the hearing.

On May 10, 2024, the court had directed that charges be framed against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh based on the allegations made by five of the six complainant women wrestlers, while discharging him in relation to the allegations made by the sixth complainant.

The court had ordered the framing of charges against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh under Sections 354, 354A and 506 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in connection with the complaints filed by the five women wrestlers. It had also directed that charges be framed against co-accused and former WFI secretary Vinod Tomar under Section 506 of the IPC.

Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh had earlier filed an application claiming that he was not present in India on September 7, 2022, the date on which one of the alleged incidents took place. On April 26, 2024, the Rouse Avenue Court dismissed his plea seeking a further investigation into the case. He had requested the court to direct the Delhi Police to verify this claim, but the plea was rejected.

The court had granted bail to Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and Vinod Tomar on July 20, 2023. Earlier, on July 7, 2023, it had taken cognisance of the charge sheet filed by the Delhi Police.

The Delhi Police had filed the charge sheet before the Rouse Avenue Court on June 15, 2023, invoking Sections 354, 354D, 354A and 506(1) of the Indian Penal Code.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar