Delhi Court Accepts Police Closure Report, Cancels Sexual Harassment Case Against Former WFI Chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh

A Delhi court on Monday accepted the closure report filed by the Delhi Police, effectively cancelling the sexual harassment case lodged by a minor wrestler against former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. The allegations of misconduct dated back to when the complainant was a minor, as reported by PTI news agency.

Additional Sessions Judge Gomti Manocha formally accepted the police’s closure report with a brief order stating, “Cancellation accepted.” This decision comes after the complainant, who was a minor at the time of the alleged incident, expressed satisfaction with the police investigation and raised no objections during an in-chamber hearing on August 1, 2023.

The Delhi Police had submitted the closure report on June 15, 2023, citing a lack of corroborative evidence in the case against Singh under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The report also revealed a surprising development — the complainant’s father admitted to filing a false complaint out of a sense of injustice towards his daughter. Consequently, while the charges under POCSO were dropped, the police recommended proceeding with charges against Singh under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in a separate case.

On May 21, 2024, a Delhi court framed charges against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh under IPC Sections 354, 354A, 354D, and 506. These sections pertain to sexual harassment, stalking, and criminal intimidation based on a case filed by six women wrestlers. On the same day, police filed a chargesheet naming Singh and his co-accused, former WFI assistant secretary Vinod Tomar, who faces similar charges.

Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, a former BJP MP and ex-WFI president, has consistently denied all allegations. Despite being removed from his WFI post last year after months of protests by top wrestlers, he remains on trial for the separate sexual harassment case brought forward by multiple women athletes.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP decided not to field Singh as a candidate. Instead, his son contested and won from Singh’s former parliamentary constituency and currently serves as the BJP MP from the area.