Rouse Avenue Court Defers Hearing on Wrestlers' Appeal Against Brij Bhushan Acquittal

The Rouse Avenue court on Saturday deferred to September 28 the hearing of an appeal that challenges the acquittal of former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and former WFI assistant secretary Vinod Tomar in a sexual harassment case filed by women wrestlers.

The matter came up before Special Judge (MP-MLA Cases) Dig Vinay Singh, who was attending judicial training on Saturday. The appeal is now scheduled to be heard on Monday, September 28.

Four women wrestlers have moved the sessions court at Rouse Avenue against the August 3 judgment of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Ashwini Panwar, which cleared Singh and Tomar of the charges. The acquittal followed a trial conducted in camera.

In their appeal, the wrestlers have argued that the acquittal is legally unsustainable and stems from a "manifestly erroneous and selective appreciation of the evidence on record". They contend that the judgment rests on "conjectures and surmises" and fails to apply settled principles of law.

The appellants further submit that the order, in material parts, relies on "archaic and stereotypical assumptions" about how victims of sexual assault and harassment are expected to behave, rather than on a fair, evidence-based assessment of the circumstances of the complainants.

The case traces back to complaints lodged by women wrestlers against Singh during his tenure as WFI chief. The allegations triggered protests by wrestlers at Delhi's Jantar Mantar in 2023 and led to an investigation by the Delhi Police, which filed a chargesheet against Singh and Tomar in June 2023.

In May 2024, the court framed charges against Singh in connection with allegations made by five complainants, while discharging him in relation to the complaint of another woman wrestler. Tomar was charged with criminal intimidation in connection with one complainant.

Senior advocate Rebecca John appeared for the victims, while advocate Rajiv Mohan, assisted by Rehan Khan and Rishabh Bhati, represented Singh. The appeal will now be taken up before the sessions court on September 28.