Charges to be framed against Brij Bhushan
NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Friday issued an order to frame charges against former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and WFI official Vinod Tomar in a case involving alleged sexual harassment filed by female wrestlers. After a year since the registration of the FIR by the Delhi police, additional chief metropolitan magistrate (ACMM) Priyanka Rajpoot stated that the “court has found sufficient material on record to frame charges against the accused to proceed with the trial.”
The court directed the framing of charges against Singh under sections 354 (assault or criminal force with intent to outrage modesty) and 354A (sexual harassment) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) based on the allegations of five complainants. Additionally, charges were framed under section 506-part 1 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC based on the allegations of two complainants. However, the court discharged him from the allegations made by the sixth complainant. Simultaneously, the court also framed charges against Tomar under section 506-part 1 of the IPC based on the allegations of one complainant.
Singh will now face trial for the offences, which carry a maximum jail term of five years and also entails liability for a fine. Tomar will face trial, with the maximum sentence that can be awarded to him being two years of imprisonment and a fine.
The court has scheduled the next hearing for May 21, where both Singh and Tomar are expected to appear before the court and either plead guilty or not guilty to the charges.
In response to the charges being framed, Olympian Bajrang Punia issued a statement: “Charges have been framed against Brij Bhushan. Thanks to the honourable court. This is a big victory for the struggle of women wrestlers. the daughters of the country have had to go through such a difficult time but this decision will give relief. Those to trolled the women wrestlers should also be ashamed.”
Olympic medallist Sakshi Malik thanked the court on X, before adding: “We had to sleep on the streets for many nights in the heat and rain; had to give up on our careers, only then have we been able to take a few steps forward in the fight for justice.”