Women Wrestlers Move Sessions Court Against Brij Bhushan's Acquittal

Four women wrestlers approached a sessions court on Friday, seeking to overturn a magistrate's order that acquitted former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and former WFI assistant secretary Vinod Tomar in a sexual harassment case.

The appeal assails the August 3 acquittal order passed by Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Ashwini Panwar. In that ruling, the court described the allegations as "false and fabricated" and part of what it called a deep conspiracy that appeared to be politically motivated.

In their challenge, the complainants argue that the acquittal is unsustainable in law and rests on an erroneous and selective reading of the evidence. The order, they contend, proceeds on conjecture and surmise and fails to apply settled principles of law.

The appeal further submits that the judgment, in its material portions, leans on archaic and stereotypical assumptions about how victims of sexual assault and harassment are expected to behave, rather than assessing the evidence in light of the complainants' circumstances. The acquittal of co-accused Vinod Tomar has also been challenged.

The matter is likely to come up before Special Judge Dig Vinay Singh on Saturday.

The case traces back to complaints lodged by women wrestlers against Singh during his tenure as WFI chief. The allegations sparked protests by prominent wrestlers at Delhi's Jantar Mantar in 2023 and prompted a Delhi Police investigation.