NEW DELHI, July 18: Delhi’s Rouse Avenue court on Tuesday granted two days interim bail to the Wrestling Federation of India outgoing president and BJP Member of Parliament Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and his co-accused Vinod Tomar in the alleged case of sexual harassment of female wrestlers.
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Harjeet Singh granted relief to Singh on a personal bond of ₹25,000. The regular bail pleas have now been listed for July 20.
On June 15, the Delhi police had filed a 1,000-page charge-sheet against Singh and Tomar, which included the testimonies of witnesses, victims and other concerned persons. Singh had been summoned before the court after hearing the submissions and considering the police report along with its annexed documents, including the statements of the victims, the court took cognisance of the offences committed under Sections 354 (outraging modesty), 354A (sexually coloured remarks) and 354D (stalking), 506 (para 1) (criminal intimidation) and 109 (abetment to offense) of the Indian Penal Code.
Several Olympic and World Championship medal-winning wrestlers, including Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia, and Sangeeta Phogat, protested for months in New Delhi demanding the arrest of Singh for sexually harassing some women grapplers.
The police only filed an FIR against the accused BJP MP after the intervention of the Supreme Court last month. Singh’s counsel alleged media trial 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.
The FIR had mentioned several alleged instances of sexual harassment like inappropriate touching, groping, stalking and intimidation by Singh at different times and places over a decade.
(Manas Dasgupta)