The Delhi High Court has asked the Delhi Police and several wrestlers to respond to a request from Brij Bhushan Singh, the former chief of the Wrestling Federation of India. Singh is seeking an earlier hearing for his petition aimed at quashing an FIR filed against him by multiple women wrestlers. He is requesting that the hearing, currently scheduled for January 13, 2025, be moved up, arguing that the trial court is in the process of recording prosecution evidence, and by the time the high court hears the case, many witnesses will have already been examined.
Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri issued a notice to the police and the wrestlers regarding Singh's application. In it, Singh has also asked the high court to instruct the trial court not to proceed with the criminal case until his petition is resolved.
The court has set a hearing date for the responses from the police and wrestlers for December 16. During a brief session, Singh's lawyer, Rajiv Mohan, noted that the trial court is convening weekly sessions, with one victim already having testified.
Singh's application states that continuing the trial could lead to prejudice and mental distress for him, as he maintains a strong case for dismissing the FIR. Previously, the high court had requested responses from the police and the wrestlers concerning Singh's plea to quash the FIR and the associated charges in the sexual harassment case.
Last year, Singh faced allegations of sexual assault from several female wrestlers, who protested for weeks demanding a thorough investigation into the matter. The Delhi Police registered an FIR following the Supreme Court's intervention in May 2023.
After the trial court framed charges of sexual harassment and intimidation against Singh on May 21, he approached the high court in August, claiming he had been falsely accused and that no crime had been committed. In his plea, Singh argues that the investigation was conducted unfairly, considering only the victims' accounts, which he claims were motivated by a desire for revenge.
He also contends that the ongoing trial proceedings violate fundamental legal principles, asserting that each alleged incident is an isolated offense and does not constitute a continuous series of events or a single transaction. Furthermore, some allegations pertain to incidents that allegedly occurred outside of India’s jurisdiction.
The police had earlier indicated that Singh’s petition was not valid. The trial court has also charged co-accused Vinod Tomar, the former WFI assistant secretary, with criminal intimidation, and he has similarly challenged the charges and the FIR.
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