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regular-article-logo Friday, 22 November 2024

Questions arise on delay in Brij Bhushan's arrest despite Delhi police chargesheet

A court said last week that based on the 'investigation so far', Singh is 'liable to be prosecuted and punished for offences' of sexual harassment, molestation and stalking

Our Special Correspondent New Delhi Published 12.07.23, 05:31 AM
Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh

Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh File picture

Reports that the Delhi police’s chargesheet against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh accuses him of sexual harassment, molestation and stalking of six adult women wrestlers have prompted many lawyers to ask why the BJP parliamentarian has still not been arrested.

The Indian Express reported on Tuesday that the June 15 chargesheet, which a court took cognisance of last week, says that based on the “investigation so far”, Singh is “liable to be prosecuted and punished for offences” of sexual harassment, molestation and stalking.

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“Delhi police chargesheet states that based on the investigation so far, of the complaints by six top wresters, WFI chief & BJP MP Brij Bhushan Singh was liable to be prosecuted & punished for offences of sexual harassment, molestation and stalking. Yet no arrest?” Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan tweeted.

These offences entail jail sentences of up to five years on conviction.

“It’s a mystery why the police have chosen not to arrest him even after indicting him in the chargesheet,” a trial court lawyer told The Telegraph.

“It’s clear that he is still being treated with kid gloves because of his political background. Under normal circumstances, the accused would have been arrested immediately considering the gravity of the alleged offences.”

The chargesheet mentions the testimonies of 108 witnesses of whom 15 --- wrestlers, coaches and referees --- corroborated the allegations made by the six women wrestlers, the Express reported.

Singh, outgoing president of the Wrestling Federation of India, has denied all the allegations.

Last week, the trial court took cognisance of the chargesheet and directed Singh to appear before it on July 18. It said there was enough evidence against him to proceed with the case.

The Delhi police had filed the chargesheet on June 15 after some of the country’s top men and women wrestlers protested for weeks at Jantar Mantar, braving the elements and police highhandedness, to press for Singh’s arrest.

Several retired IPS officers had earlier accused the police of compromising the probe because of “political interference”, and underlined that the two FIRs in the case had been registered only after a prod from the Supreme Court.

While the chargesheet has been filed in connection with the first FIR, lodged on complaints from six adult women wrestlers, the police have filed a closure report before another court in relation to the second FIR, based on a now-withdrawn complaint from a minor wrestler.

On Tuesday, this second court sought a response from the minor wrestler and her father on the police recommendation for cancellation of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act case, saying there’s “no corroborative evidence”.

A Pocso case entails a fast-tracked trial and a prison term of up to seven years on conviction.

The minor wrestler’s statement was recorded before a magistrate in the first week of May, in which she alleged sexual assault by Singh. In June, her father withdrew the complaint saying it was false and had been filed in anger at Singh for discriminating against his daughter.

A newspaper later quoted the father as saying he had been threatened by people whose names he could not reveal and that his family was “living in intense fear”.

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