India’s Ex-Wrestling Chief Cleared of Minor’s Sexual Harassment

The court has now accepted the police report, and the minor and her father have appeared before the court, expressing satisfaction with the police investigation and not opposing the cancellation report.

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A court in Delhi has cleared former wrestling federation chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh of sexual harassment charges filed by a minor female wrestler. The court accepted a Delhi police report recommending the cancellation of the case against Singh, citing a lack of corroborative evidence. Singh, a former Member of Parliament from the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), still faces charges of sexual harassment and stalking in a separate case filed by six adult female wrestlers.

The cases against Singh drew widespread attention in 2023, with India’s top wrestlers, including Olympic medallists Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia, and two-time world champion medallist Vinesh Phogat, protesting against him. The protests sparked global criticism after the police detained the wrestlers as they attempted to march to India’s new parliament building in Delhi. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) condemned the treatment of the wrestlers and called for an impartial inquiry into their complaints.

Singh has consistently denied the allegations, accusing the wrestlers of being “politically motivated”. In the case of the minor, the police had invoked the stringent Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act. However, the minor later retracted her statements and withdrew her allegations, with her father stating that he had made a false complaint. The prosecution lawyer said “no corroborative evidence” had been found in the allegations after a detailed investigation.

Sakshi Malik had expressed concerns about the minor’s retraction, stating, “I believe the player was pressurised into withdrawing the charges.” Singh refused to comment on the allegation, saying “let law take its course”. The court has now accepted the police report, and the minor and her father have appeared before the court, expressing satisfaction with the police investigation and not opposing the cancellation report.

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