WFI Sexual Harassment Case: Supreme Court Seeks Delhi Police's Response On Wrestlers' Plea For FIR Against Brijbhushan Sharan Singh

A plea moved by seven wrestlers is seeking the registration of an FIR against WFI president and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Singh who faces serious allegations of sexual harassment.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued notice to Delhi Police on a plea moved by seven wrestlers seeking the registration of an FIR against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Singh who faces allegations of sexual harassment. The top court also ordered the removal of the names of the seven complainant wrestlers from judicial records to suppress identities in the sexual harassment case and fixed April 28 as the next date for a hearing.

The plea filed in the Supreme Court by seven wrestlers seeking a case against the WFI president was mentioned before the court earlier today. The top court, however, listed the matter pertaining to the plea filed by seven wrestlers seeking registration of FIR against the WFI chief for Friday. 

Responding to their plea, the Supreme Court also noted that ''there are serious allegations that are contained in the petition by Wrestlers who have represented India.''

#UPDATE | SC lists the matter pertaining to the plea filed by seven wrestlers seeking registration of FIR against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president & BJP MP Brij Bhushan Singh; the matter has been listed on Friday.

There are serious allegation that is contained in…

— ANI (@ANI) April 25, 2023

Delhi Police has, meanwhile, sought a report from the probe committee set up by the Ministry of Sports to investigate the sexual harassment allegations against the WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. A Delhi Police official said on Monday that so far seven complaints have been received against the Wrestling Federation of India President and all of them are being investigated. An FIR will be registered after concrete evidence comes to light, he said.

“As part of the inquiry, we have sought a report from the probe committee set up by the Sports Ministry to look into the allegations of sexual harassment allegations levelled against the WFI chief,” he said.

Several national medal-winning wrestlers have been protesting at Jantar Mantar demanding the government for making public the findings of the oversight panel that investigated the sexual harassment allegations against Singh.

Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur had announced the five-member oversight committee, headed by legendary boxer MC Mary Kom, to look into allegations against Singh, a BJP leader and a muscleman with a criminal history.

All political parties are welcome, Say Wrestlers

Olympics medallist Bajrang Punia on Monday said all political parties were ‘welcome’ as top Indian wrestlers, including him, Vinesh Phogat, and Sakshi Malik, among others, returned to New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on Sunday to stage protests against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) and its president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh for allegedly sexually assaulting women wrestlers.

“All parties are welcomed, be it the BJP, Congress, Aam Aadmi Party or any other party. When we win a medal, we don't wave any party's flag but only the Indian flag. When we win medals, everyone. Not just one party comes forward to congratulate us, and neither are we affiliated with a single party. We are a part of this country and all Indians are welcome to join the protests. If we don’t fight for the women of the country then we can't fight against anything,” Punia told reporters at the protest site.

Punia’s comments had come after CPI(M) Leader Brinda Karat, who had come to support the wrestlers’ protest in January, was asked to step down from the stage. The wrestlers had then maintained that they did not want to make the protests political. It was then said that no politicians would be allowed to speak on the stage.

Punia had then said, “We don’t want the protest to take a political shape”.

(With Agency Inputs)