Brij Bhushan Singh not exonerated by govt panel in sexual harassment case: Police to court

Allaying speculations about his exoneration by an oversight committee, the Delhi Police told a city court on Saturday (September 16) that BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh was not exonerated by the oversight committee constituted by the government to investigate the allegations against him. The former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief has been accused of sexual harassment of several women wrestlers

The police made the submission before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Harjeet Singh Jaspal during the argument on whether to frame charges against Singh in the case or not.

“Singh was not exonerated by the oversight committee. The committee had given the recommendations, not the decision… Nowhere has it stated that these allegations are not substantiated or are false,” special public prosecutor Atul Srivastava told the court.

He urged the court to frame the charges against Singh, saying even a mere gesture can constitute a crime under Section 354 (assault or criminal force to a woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The Delhi Police had filed a charge sheet against the six-time MP on June 15 under Sections 354, 354A (sexual harassment), 354D (stalking) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC. Singh appeared before the court during the proceedings of the case on Saturday (September 16).

The Delhi Police will resume its arguments on September 23 on the charges against Singh. The Union Sports Ministry had constituted an oversight committee headed by Indian boxing great MC Mary Kom to investigate the allegations levelled by women wrestlers against Singh after their protest in the national capital.

Its report was not made public but a copy was given to the Delhi Police who are probing the allegations against Singh.

The court had on July 20 granted bail to Singh and suspended WFI assistant secretary Vinod Tomar. They were never arrested in the case.

(With agency inputs)