Oversight Committee didn't exonerate Brij Bhushan Singh in sexual harassment case, police tells court

Former WFI chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, accused of sexual harassment of several women wrestlers, was not exonerated by the oversight committee constituted by the government to investigate the allegations against him, Delhi police told a city court on Saturday.

The police made the submission before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Harjeet Singh Jaspal during the argument on whether to frame charges against Singh in the case.

“Singh was not exonerated by the oversight committee. The committee had given the recommendations, not the decision… Nowhere has it stated that these allegations are not substantiated or are false,” special public prosecutor Atul Srivastava told the court.

He urged the court to frame the charges against Singh, saying even a mere gesture can constitute a crime under section 354 (Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of the Indian Penal Code.

The Delhi police had filed a charge sheet against the six-time MP on June 15 under sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 354A (sexual harassment), 354D (stalking) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Singh appeared before the court during the proceedings of the case on Saturday.

Delhi police will resume its arguments on September 23 on the charges against Singh. The Union Sports Ministry had constituted an oversight committee headed by Indian boxing great M C Mary Kom to investigate the allegations levelled by women wrestlers against Singh after their protest in the national capital.

Its report was not made public but a copy was given to the Delhi police who are probing the allegations against Singh.

The court had on July 20 granted bail to Singh and suspended Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) assistant secretary Vinod Tomar. They were never arrested in the case.