Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) MP and former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh has been granted interim bail by Delhi's Rouse Avenue court in the sexual harassment case of six female wrestlers. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Harjeet Singh granted relief to Singh on a personal bond of Rs 25,000. His former secretary Vinod Tomar has also been granted bail by the same court.
The interim bail has been granted till July 20 when the court will hear the matter on regular bail.
After prolonged protests, led by country's top wrestlers Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and others, the Delhi Police filed a chargesheet against the six-time MP on June 15 under various sexual offences charges, which included assault, sexual harassment and stalking.
The charges were filed under sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 354A (sexual harassment), 354D (stalking) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC. Tomar was charged with offences under IPC sections 109 (abetment of any offence, if the act abetted is committed in consequence, and where no express provision is made for its punishment), 354, 354A and 506 (criminal intimidation).
Singh's counsel alleged media trail, to which the judge said he may move an application before the high court or trial court. The court will pass an appropriate order on the application, the judge said. The counsel, however, did not move any application in this regard.
Wrestlers vs WFI: Timeline of protest from pavement sit-in to court petition
Earlier, the police filed two FIRs against Singh, one pertaining to sexual harassment and another a POSCO charge involving a minor. However, the police later dropped the POCSO charge "based upon statements of the complainant i.e., the father of the victim and the victim herself".
Singh had been questioned by the police twice so far, and on both occasions, he denied all the allegations against him and claimed he was "framed".
The wrestlers, meanwhile, had said that their fight will now continue in the court and not on roads. Vinesh, Sakshi and Bajrang had posted identical tweets saying the government has fulfilled its promise of filing a chargesheet against Singh by the given date. "Regarding the reform in WFI, the election process, as promised, has begun. We will wait for fulfilment of promises made by the government regarding the July 11 elections," the statement on Twitter read.
However, the WFI elections are yet to take place with the matter being taken to court after a petition by Assam Wrestling Association at Gauhati High Court, who are seeking the right to participate in the election process.