 "BJP MP Brij Bhushan charged with sexual harassment of 5 women wrestlers")
A court in Delhi has formally charged BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh with sexual harassment, stalking, outraging modesty of women, and criminal intimidation in a case involving five women wrestlers.
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Priyanka Rajpoot of the Rouse Avenue Court issued the order, framing charges against Singh, the former chief of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), under Sections 354A (sexual harassment), 354 (outraging modesty), and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Six women wrestlers had made allegations of sexual harassment against Brij Bhushan. He was discharged in allegations made by a sixth wrestler.
Charges were also filed against co-accused Vinod Tomar, former assistant secretary of the WFI, for the offence of criminal intimidation under Section 506 of the IPC.
Women wrestlers accuse Brij Bhushan of sexual assault
The case stems from complaints by six wrestlers who accused Brij Bhushan of sexual harassment. The police registered a first information report (FIR) against the MP based on their allegations.
On June 15, 2023, the police filed a charge sheet against Singh for offences including outraging modesty, sexually coloured remarks, stalking, and criminal intimidation under various sections of the IPC.
Initially, the complainants approached the Supreme Court seeking the registration of an FIR against Brij Bhushan. Subsequently, the Delhi Police confirmed to the Supreme Court that an FIR had been registered and that the investigation was ongoing.
One of the wrestlers later withdrew her complaint, leading to the Delhi Police filing a cancellation report under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act) regarding her case.
On April 26, the court also rejected Brij Bhushan's application for further investigation, despite his claims of not being in Delhi during the alleged incident involving one of the wrestlers.