New Delhi: On July 18, the Rouse Avenue court in New Delhi granted interim bail to Brij Bhushan Singh, a Member of Parliament from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the former Wrestling Chief of India. He was facing allegations of sexual harassment made by some of the country’s prominent female wrestlers. Vinod Tomar, the former Assistant Secretary of Singh, was also granted interim bail by Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Harjeet Singh Jaspal.
Advocate Rajeev Mohan, representing the accused, informed the court that bail bonds were being filed since the charge sheet was presented before any arrests were made. On the other hand, Additional Public Prosecutor Atul Srivastava, representing the Delhi Police, opposed the bail request, stating that Singh should not be allowed to influence witnesses.
ACMM Jaspal scheduled the matter for hearing arguments on a regular bail plea on Thursday. The court had earlier summoned Singh and Tomar on July 7 based on the charge sheet filed in response to allegations made by six female wrestlers accusing Singh of sexual harassment and intimidation.
The Delhi Police’s charge sheet, consisting of over 1,000 pages, includes offenses under Sections 354, 354A, 354D of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. Tomar, on the other hand, faces charges under Sections 109, 354, 354A, and 506 of the IPC, as he is accused of abetting the officer.
The charge sheet reportedly contains statements from approximately 200 witnesses. The FIR lodged at Connaught Place police station by the six adult grapplers alleges that Singh tried to coerce one athlete into sexual acts by offering “supplements,” invited another wrestler to his bed and hugged her, and also assaulted and inappropriately touched other athletes.
