Wrestlers’ sexual harassment case: Delhi court grants interim bail to Brij Bhushan Singh

A Delhi court on Tuesday granted two-day interim bail to outgoing WFI chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in case of alleged sexual harassment of women wrestlers. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Harjeet Singh granted relief to Singh on a personal bond of Rs 25,000.

The court also granted bail to Vinod Tomar, the suspended assistant secretary of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), in the case.

Singh and Tomar appeared before the court in pursuance to summons issued to them and sought bail in the case.

The Delhi Police had filed a charge sheet against the 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 Indian Penal Code (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. Besides the present case, another FIR was registered against Singh pursuant to allegations made by a minor wrestler which was registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. She was among the seven female grapplers who had accused Singh of sexual harassment.

Both the FIRs mentioned several alleged instances of sexual harassment like inappropriate touching, groping, stalking and intimidation by Singh at different times and places over a decade.