Wrestling
Delhi court frames charges against ex-WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh
Delhi court framed charges against former WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in a sexual harassment case.
Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh is the former president of the Wrestling Federation of India.
A Delhi court framed charges against the former Wrestling Federation of India's (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, on Tuesday, following the complaints filed by the female wrestlers alleging sexual harassment, intimidation and outraging their modesty.
When the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Priyanka Rajpoot asked Brij Bhushan if he pleaded guilty to the charges or not, he reportedly told Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court: "Why will I plead guilty when I am not guilty?"
The court has sought a reply from the Delhi Police on the matter. The matter has been listed for hearing at 2 PM on June 1.
The hearing was called out at the court after an FIR was filed against Brij Bhushan earlier this month by Delhi Police based on the complaints filed by the female wrestlers.
Because of the allegations against him, Brij Bhushan, the sitting BJP MP from Kaiserganj in Uttar Pradesh, was denied a ticket to contest the ongoing Lok Sabha poll. The party fielded his son Karan Bhushan Singh from the seat.
Meanwhile, the court has also framed the charges of criminal intimidation against former WFI assistant secretary Vinod Tomar in the same case.
The court proceeding began after a one-year-long protest by the country's ace wrestlers Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, and Bajrang Punia last year as six different female wrestlers filed complaints with the Delhi Police, accusing Brij Bhushan of sexual harassment, molestation and criminal intimidation.
This latest development has come out as a victory for the concerned wrestlers, with them expressing their feelings on social media platforms after the complaint was registered against Brij Bhushan, earlier this month.
The court framed charges against Brij Bhushan under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 354 (assault or criminal force with intent to outrage modesty) and 354A (sexual harassment) based on the allegations of the five complainants.
The court also framed charges under Section 506-part 1 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC based on the allegations of two complainants against Brij Bhushan.
