New Delhi [India], August 3 (ANI): Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court on Monday acquitted former Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and co-accused Vinod Tomar in the sexual harassment case filed by women wrestlers.
ACJM Ashwani Panwar held that the prosecution failed to prove the charges beyond reasonable doubt. Brij Bhushan welcomed the verdict as an “honourable acquittal”, saying, “Today, the court acquitted me with honour. It is a matter of happiness for me and my supporters.”
Prominent wrestlers Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik said they were disappointed and will challenge the decision. In a joint statement, they said, “The women wrestlers have instructed their lawyers to appeal against this decision, and the appeal will be filed as soon as possible.”
Brij Bhushan Singh welcomed his acquittal from an alleged sexual harassment case, posting a video of celebration from his supporters on social media with a caption saying, ‘Satyamev Jayate’.
https://x.com/b_bhushansharan/status/2084275404421071208
The case stemmed from allegations made by women wrestlers against Singh during his tenure as WFI chief. The Delhi Police had filed a chargesheet against Singh in 2023, alleging offences including sexual harassment, assault or criminal force against women and criminal intimidation. Tomar was also named as a co-accused in the case.
Women wrestlers participated in a protest at Jantar Mantar. An FIR was lodged by Delhi Police based on a complaint given by women wrestlers. Delhi police had filed a 1500 page charge sheet on June 15 2023, after an investigation against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and Vinod Tomar. The charge sheet was filed under sections 354, 354D, 354A, and 506 (1) of the IPC. Delhi Police had invoked sections 354, 354D, 354A, 506 (1) and 109 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Last month, the court had fixed August 3 as the date for the pronouncement of judgment in the matter linked to allegations raised by women wrestlers. The proceedings were conducted in a closed courtroom.
The former WFI chief welcomed the Rouse Avenue Court’s decision to acquit him in the women wrestlers’ alleged sexual harassment case, saying he had complete faith in the judicial process and never felt guilty
“I said this was a conspiracy, and if any of the allegations against me are found to be true, I will hang myself. To this day, I’ve stood by that statement. Today, after almost three years, the court has honourably acquitted me and Vinod,” Singh said.
He said he had always stood up for people whose rights were violated and expressed happiness over what he described as a victory in the fight for junior athletes.
“I always stood up for those who were weak, those whose rights were violated. I had complete faith that justice would be done to me, and I never felt guilty. We were fighting for the junior athletes whose rights were being violated, and I am happy that we won that fight,” he added.
Following his acquittal, Singh received a warm welcome at his residence, where supporters showered him with flower petals. Crackers were also burst outside his residence as supporters celebrated the court’s verdict.
Brij Bhushan’s lawyer Rajiv Mohan told reporters, “… The court has not yet received a copy of the order. Once it is received, we can inform on what basis the court arrived at its conclusion. The arguments we presented have been accepted…”
Following the acquittal, wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Olympic medalist Bajrang Punia, who led the protests against Brij Bhushan in 2023, expressed their disappointment with the verdict and said that the wrestlers will continue their fight.
In a post on X, the two wrestlers said it took “a lot of courage” for the women wrestlers to take to the streets and file an FIR against a powerful politician.
“We had to gather a lot of courage to take to the streets and file an FIR against a powerful, strongman politician from the ruling party. Leveraging his political power and muscle, Brij Bhushan intimidated many girls into withdrawing their complaints,” they said.
They expressed disappointment over the court’s verdict, saying several women wrestlers had remained firm and continued with the legal battle.
“Many female wrestlers stood firm and continued the legal battle against Brij Bhushan. We are deeply saddened that the court did not find Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh guilty of the allegations of sexual violence levelled by the female wrestlers,” the post added.
Phogat and Punia also alleged that the government and the system had worked to protect the former WFI chief.
The wrestlers said the women complainants had instructed their lawyers to challenge the verdict and that an appeal would be filed at the earliest.
“From the very beginning, the entire establishment, the government, and the system have been working to shield Brij Bhushan. The female wrestlers have instructed their lawyers to appeal against this verdict, and this will be done as soon as possible. We have not lost hope, and the wrestlers will continue their fight,” the post concluded.
The current WFI president Sanjay Singh on Monday welcomed the acquittal of the former WFI chief, while also claiming that the allegations were “baseless” and “100 per cent politically motivated”
Speaking to ANI, the WFI president said the Indian wrestling community, including wrestlers and officials, welcomed the court’s decision and alleged that the controversy had adversely affected the sport.
“We all, on behalf of the Indian wrestling community–from wrestlers to officials–welcome this decision. These allegations were baseless. Our wrestling has suffered greatly because of these accusations. We could have won four more medals in the Olympics. They did this in an Olympic year. This is a slap in the face of our opponents. Everyone welcomes this, and everyone deserves congratulations,” Sanjay Singh said.
Asked whether he believed the case was politically motivated, the WFI president said, “It was 100 per cent politically motivated. 100 per cent. There was no specific day, no witness, no time, no date–just allegations were made,” Sanjay added.
Following the acquittal, Brij Bhushan told ANI that he was innocent and alleged that false cases have become a tool used by political “gangs” for money and political gains.
On maintaining innocence and alleging a political conspiracy, he said, “I never considered myself a criminal. Not on the first day, nor in between. Because I was looking at myself, and what my belief was back then, is what is here before me today. This was a lie, a well-thought-out conspiracy, in which several political parties of the country became involved. This had stopped being a players’ movement and had become an opposition movement. Today, I have received a clean chit from the judiciary. I was not in much tension then, and I am not now.”
Singh launched a scathing attack on his accusers, political opponents, and what he characterised as a broader pattern of fabricated legal cases across the country.
Speaking shortly after the court’s order, Singh framed the judiciary’s decision not merely as a personal victory, but as a symbolic stand against a growing culture of false accusations. Pointing to what he described as organised networks operating nationwide, Singh argued that lodging false complaints has turned into a lucrative enterprise.
“There are thousands of people in the country against whom false allegations are being made. Today it has become a fashion, a weapon,” Singh declared. “There is a ‘gang’–a gang in every district that files cases for money. So all those people will get some strength from this–that if a false case is filed, there is no need to break down; there is a need to fight them.”
Throughout the legal battle, which sparked widespread street protests led by prominent Indian wrestlers at Jantar Mantar, Singh maintained that his public standing remained unblemished.
Rejecting the notion that the allegations damaged his political or social capital, the veteran politician pointed to his ongoing public appearances as proof of continued grassroots support.
“My image was never spoiled,” he asserted. “You can pick up and watch videos from before this case–look at the crowds in my public meetings or any social programs, and what the crowd was like afterwards. My image was never down, and it isn’t down today either, because this was a lie,” he said.
Addressing the athletes who spearheaded the campaign against his tenure at the WFI–including high-profile figures who vowed to carry on their legal battle–Singh urged them to re-evaluate their actions while acknowledging their legal right to appeal.
Notably, Vinesh Phogat led the protest against Brij Bhushan alongside Olympic medalist Bajrang Punia.
“They all should introspect,” Singh stated, remarking that while the wrestlers retain the right to pursue their “long fight,” the underlying accusations lacked factual basis.
The former WFI chief also dismissed claims regarding administrative lapses within the wrestling federation, particularly concerning the handling of internal grievances and the existence of mandatory oversight panels.
Dismissing the allegations that safety mechanisms were lacking, Singh insisted that formal grievance structures were active all along and that the controversy was artificially manufactured.
“A committee is formed. The committee exists, it exists, it exists,” Singh emphasised. “That situation did not exist; it was created, right? The situation wasn’t there; it was created. Now, if someone wants to create it, who can stop them? But all the committees were there before and are there today as well,” he concluded. (ANI)
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