Sexual harassment allegations motivated, false: Brij Bhushan tells court

Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, BJP MP and former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief, on Saturday denied allegations of sexual harassment levelled by some women wrestlers, and claimed that one of them accused him as she failed to qualify for the 2016 Olympics.

Claiming that the allegations are false and motivated, Singh's counsel's submitted before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Harjeet Singh Jaspal of the Rouse Avenue Court that the above-mentioned complainant, who is part of the sexual harassment committee, did not report the alleged incident from 2012 until April 2023. 

Singh's counsel argued: "She levelled the allegations as she failed to qualify for the Olympics. Every complaint has a reason behind it. Every allegation is false… Almost every complainant changed her statement. Cosmetic and improved statements were given to implicate the accused."

After hearing arguments from Singh's counsel, the judge adjourned the matter until October 16. 

Last time, Delhi Police had told the court that Singh never missed an opportunity to sexually harass women wrestlers, adding that there is sufficient evidence to frame charges against him.

Delhi Police had cited alleged incidents from Tajikistan in its case against Singh, claiming that these events show his awareness of his actions. 

According to the police, during an event in Tajikistan, Singh forcibly hugged a woman wrestler and later justified his actions by saying that he did it "like a father".

Another complaint from the Asian Championships in Tajikistan alleges that Singh lifted a woman wrestler's shirt without permission and inappropriately touched her stomach. 

Delhi Police had argued that these incidents occurred outside India, but were relevant to the case.

The police had stressed that it's not a matter of whether the victims reacted to the incidents, but rather that they were wronged. They also mentioned an alleged incident at the WFI's office in Delhi and asserted that the national capital was the appropriate jurisdiction for the complaints.

On August 11, Delhi Police had told the court that they possessed sufficient evidence to proceed with the trial against Singh. ACMM Jaspal was informed by the police that there is a clear case against Singh and one co-accused.