Delhi Police on Friday filed two FIRs against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brijbhushan Sharan Singh on allegations of sexual harassment levelled by multiple women wrestlers.
While the first FIR pertains to allegations of a minor wrestler and was registered under the Pocso Act, the second was related to outraging modesty.
The development comes after the Supreme Court recorded an undertaking from solicitor-general Tushar Mehta that the Delhi police will register a formal FIR against Singh on Friday itself.
The undertaking came three months after the aggrieved wrestlers, among them a minor, had launched a public protest at Jantar Mantar here against the failure of the police to register an FIR or take action against the BJP MP from Uttar Pradesh.
A bench of Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and Justice P.S. Narasimha also directed the Delhi police commissioner to assess the threat perception faced by the minor wrestler and provide necessary security. The matter has been listed for further hearing on May 5.
The bench also asked the police commissioner to consider a request from senior advocate Kapil Sibal that the six other female wrestlers, who had given written complaints against Singh, should also be provided requisite security.
“We have decided to register FIR, we will register it today. Nothing else survives in the petition,” Mehta told the court at the commencement of the hearing.
“Mr Solicitor, we’ll record your statement that FIR is being registered. Second, we’ll say that let security be provided to her. Instead of disposing it, we’ll take it after a week?” the CJI said.
This prompted Mehta to object, saying, “Then it (issue) is going in a different direction.”
Chief Justice Chandrachud, however, clarified: “We will not monitor the investigation. We are just asking you to come tell us what is being done. We are listing it on Friday next. Let the commissioner of police give us a report on the security being provided to the minor…” the bench said.
The apex court also turned down Mehta’s argument that entertaining the present petition was improper as there may be hundreds of cases of people complaining about police not taking action against accused persons. He submitted that all such persons do not have the wherewithal to directly approach the Supreme Court for registration of FIRs.
Moreover, he said, there were several judgments of the Supreme Court that a citizen aggrieved by non-registration of FIRs should first approach the jurisdictional magistrate for registration of FIR as stipulated under the FIR
Sibal, however, said he will counter the arguments at the next date of hearing on Friday.
He told the court that in all there are 40 cases filed against Singh by the wrestlers and others. He also handed over a sealed cover document relating to the complaints against Singh and the threat perception being faced by the minor female wrestler.
While directing the commissioner of police to provide necessary security to the minor, the bench clarified: “Our direction to provide security to the minor girl shall not stand in the way of the Commissioner making independent threat perception for other complainants security.” This came after Sibal submitted that six other female wrestlers also needed to be provided security in view of their threat perception.
Bajrang Punia, Tokyo Olympic Games bronze medal winner and one of the faces of the protest, alleged police excesses after the FIRs were filed against the WFI chief.
“Electricity has been cut, no food or water is allowed in. Police are trying to put pressure on us to vacate Jantar Mantar now that FIR has been registered. The ACP (assistant commissioner of police) says do whatever you can,” Bajrang claimed during an InstaLive session late on Friday.
Earlier, Vinesh Phogat said they don’t trust the police. “We will see and then take a decision on calling off the protest. He (WFI chief) should be behind bars.”
The wrestlers have also demanded that the government make public the findings of an oversight panel that investigated the allegations. The committee was set up in January after the wrestlers held a three-day sit-in.
Additional reporting by PTI
