βββββββNew Delhi, June 30: The Rouse Avenue Court on Tuesday heard the concluding arguments on behalf of former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP and former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in the sexual harassment case filed by several women wrestlers.
Singh, along with former WFI Assistant Secretary Vinod Tomar, is facing trial over allegations of sexual harassment during Singh's tenure as the federation's president.
Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) Ashwani Panwar heard the defence's final submissions. Singh and Tomar were represented by Advocate Rajiv Mohan, assisted by Advocates Rehan Khan and Rishabh Bhati.
During the proceedings, Singh denied all allegations made against him. The court has scheduled the complainants' final arguments for Wednesday, following which it is expected to reserve its judgment.
Earlier, on May 12, the court recorded the testimony of a member of the Special Investigation Team (SIT). The statement of the investigating officer has also been placed on record as part of the trial proceedings.
The case originated from complaints filed by several women wrestlers, who had staged a protest at Jantar Mantar, accusing Singh of sexual harassment. Acting on the complaints, Delhi Police registered a First Information Report (FIR) and launched an investigation.
Upon completion of the probe, Delhi Police filed a chargesheet of nearly 1,500 pages against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and Vinod Tomar on June 15, 2023. The charges were filed under Sections 354 (assault or criminal force with intent to outrage modesty), 354A (sexual harassment), 354D (stalking), and 506(1) (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Separately, the Wrestling Federation of India had issued a show-cause notice to wrestler Vinesh Phogat on May 9, alleging indiscipline and anti-doping violations. The notice also declared the three-time Olympian ineligible to participate in the National Open Ranking Tournament in Gonda.
The court is expected to take up the complainants' final submissions on Wednesday before deciding the next course of action in the case.
