WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh gets interim bail in wrestlers' sexual harassment case

A Delhi court on Tuesday granted interim bail to former Wrestling Federation of India President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and another person in the sexual harassment case filed by women wrestlers.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Harjeet Singh Jaspal allowed the interim bail to former BJP MP Singh and his co-accused Vinod Tomar, suspended assistant secretary of the Wrestling Federation of India.

The prosecution did not oppose the bail on the condition that he would not influence witnesses.

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Delhi Police have not arrested Singh during its investigation.

The court put the matter for considering regular bail to Singh and his co accused.

On July 7, the court had issued summons against Singh in the case after finding that there was sufficient evidence to proceed against him.

The court had then taken cognisance of the chargesheet filed against him.

Delhi Police had filed a chargesheet against Brij Bhushan, a six-time MP, on June 15 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 named as accused of  offences under 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) of the IPC.

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On May 4, the Supreme Court had closed the proceedings on a plea filed by women wrestlers alleging sexual harrasment against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Singh, as the FIRs were lodged on their complaint and security has been provided to the athletes.

Two FIRs, including one under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO), were lodged against Singh by the Delhi Police on April 28. However, the police filed a closure report in the case filed on the minor's complaint after she reportedly retracted her statement made before a judicial magistrate.

The action had Singh had come after a month-long sit in at Jantar Mantar here by Olympian wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat and other grapplers, most of whom hailed from Haryana, demanding removal of Singh as WFI chief and his arrest.