The allegations of sexual harassment against former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh were "deep rooted, well planned and politically motivated," a Delhi court said, while acquitting him and former WFI assistant secretary Vinod Tomar in the case filed by women wrestlers. Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Ashwini Panwar of Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court, in an order passed on Monday, said the complaints against the former BJP MP appeared rehearsed, coached and not genuine.
NDTV has learnt that the court's order, yet to be made public, mentions the allegations were made collectively at the instance of a female and a male wrestler, along with coaches at Mahadev Academy, a wrestling training centre in Haryana's Rohtak.
The court said no allegations of harassment had been made before the wrestlers began their dharna. It observed that complaints with similar wording were filed with the police only later, on April 21, 2023.
The court gave weight to the statements of two wrestlers who had initially alleged harassment but later turned hostile, calling their testimony more credible.
"Nothing has been proved by the prosecution which shows that these two survivors did not support the case of the prosecution due to any overt act attributable to the accused," it said.
It further pointed to a pattern across the allegations, noting the incidents were said to have occurred during tournaments and in crowded public settings involving family and friends of the sportspersons, which it said pointed to meticulous planning.
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The court also observed that the residential address of the male wrestler among the complainants appeared in the statements of witnesses who later turned hostile, saying this suggested they had been tutored in his presence.
After examining the witness testimonies, surrounding circumstances, the complainants' conduct and what it described as material contradictions, the court held that the evidence of the hostile witnesses was credible enough to raise reasonable doubt and undermine the prosecution's case.
Senior advocate Rebecca John, appearing for four of the women wrestlers, described the acquittal as "deeply, deeply disturbing". Singh, meanwhile, told reporters he had always maintained that he would take his own life if the allegations against him were true, and said he was "very happy" with the verdict. The trial was held in camera, with the media barred from the courtroom.
The case stems from the women wrestlers' protests at Delhi's Jantar Mantar in April and May 2023, where they accused Singh of sexual harassment.
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