After a local court accepted the Delhi Police's report of cancellation, the sexual harassment case against a minor wrestler and former Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh was formally closed. Reacting to the news, the BJP leader said, "I never gave up in this fight and justice has now been served by the judiciary."
The ruling was made on Monday when Additional Sessions Judge Gomti Manocha of the Patiala House Courts formally issued acceptance of the closure report with a mere utterance, "Cancellation accepted." This report was for an FIR filed under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, and relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code pertaining to offenses against the modesty of a woman.
Originally filed on June 15, 2023, the report of cancellation met no opposition from the complainant. The young wrestler and her father subsequently assured—on August 1, 2023—that they were satisfied with the investigation conducted by the police and raised no issues with the report. Before that, on July 4, the court requested the position of the complainant regarding the findings of the report.
The 550-page inquiry report submitted in court held the view that the charges brought up by the minor were unsubstantiated.
In response to the court's verdict, Singh informed IANS, "On January 18, 2023, I vehemently declared that it's a false case. I don't worry about others—I know who I am. If anybody really wants to know about such things in their life, even one minute is sufficient. That's why I rejected all the charges leveled against me vehemently. I was right when I said this even today. I had declared that if one allegation is established, I will hang myself."
He said, "Some laughed at me when a chargesheet had been filed; others asked why I had not hanged myself already. Today, the judiciary has given me justice. In every nook and corner of the country, in all states and media outlets, this issue has been accorded proper weight and attention."
Dealing with more general legal issues, Singh contended that certain protective laws were being abused: "I think that in our nation, there are three provisions of law which were initially made to protect Dalits and women. Unfortunately, the very provisions are being misused on a large scale. I am not claiming that these laws must be repealed, because they were made to protect. But the fact remains that they are being employed as weapons instead of as shields. There has to be a complete review of the abuse."
Singh, who lost his job as WFI president amid national protests organized by key wrestlers, is facing trial in a different sexual harassment case against several women wrestlers.
The 68-year-old accused political motives for the allegations, stating that his involvement in the case was planned as a part of a bigger conspiracy. He held a finger at the Congress party, specifically against Bhupinder Hooda and some wrestlers from Haryana, claiming that they were interested in taking over WFI leadership.
"The Congress party was behind the conspiracy, with the main reason being Bhupinder Hooda and the wrestlers, all of whom were from Haryana, who were aiming for the post of WFI president. This is also evident from Sakshi’s (Malik) statements and that many things have now become clear," Singh alleged.
Describing the political forces in WFI, he further said, "This (WFI president) is not a nominated post; there are proper elections for it. Two representatives from each Union Territory and two from states, and there are about 50 votes altogether. It was absolutely political, with Congress in it, and even individuals from Canada were included. But I never gave up and by god's grace, justice has been delivered."
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