A Delhi court has issued summonses to Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the chief of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), and Vinod Tomar, a suspended federation official, in response to a charge sheet filed by the Delhi police regarding a sexual harassment case. The court, under the jurisdiction of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Harjeet Singh Jaspal, has directed Singh, who is also a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and Tomar to personally appear before the court on July 18. The court will subsequently determine a date for the hearing of the charges.
The Delhi police has charged Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, a six-time parliamentarian, with offenses under sections 354 (assault or criminal force with intent to outrage modesty), 354A (sexual harassment), and 354D (stalking) of the Indian Penal Code. Vinod Tomar, his associate, has been charged with offenses under sections 109 (abetment) and 506 (criminal intimidation), in addition to sections 354 and 354A.
Section 354 carries a maximum prison sentence of five years, while sections 354A and 354D carry maximum sentences of three years each.
Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, 66, faces two separate FIRs—one filed by six women athletes and another by a minor who later altered her statement before a magistrate. On June 15, the police filed a 1082-page charge sheet for the first case and a 552-page cancellation report for the second FIR.
The court has requested a response from the minor woman wrestler and her family regarding their agreement or objections to the cancellation report filed by the police. The case is scheduled for further hearing on August 1.
Rio Olympics bronze medallist Sakshi Malik, Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Bajrang Punia, and double World Championship medallist Vinesh Phogat spearheaded the protests demanding the arrest of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, which initially began in January. The athletes ended their agitation on June 7 after a 38-day protest at Jantar Mantar, which was dismantled by the city police on May 28.
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