Delhi court gives Brij Bhushan Singh one week to respond to acquittal challenge

New Delhi: A Delhi court on Wednesday granted former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh a final opportunity to file his response to an appeal challenging his acquittal in an alleged sexual harassment case lodged by four women wrestlers.

The Rouse Avenue Courts directed Singh to file his reply within one week, making it clear that no further opportunity would be granted for filing the response.

The appeal has been filed by four women wrestlers challenging the judgment of the trial court acquitting Singh and former WFI Assistant Secretary Vinod Tomar.

The appellants have contended that the trial court’s judgment was not sustainable in law and that the evidence on record had not been correctly assessed.

The appeal also challenges Tomar’s acquittal on a charge of criminal intimidation under Section 506 Part I of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), levelled by one of the complainants.

On September 28, the Rouse Avenue Court issued notice to Singh and Tomar, seeking their responses to the appeal. The matter was subsequently listed on October 9, when the court granted the respondents additional time to file their replies and fixed October 28 for further hearing.

In a judgment delivered on August 3, Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Ashwini Panwar acquitted Singh and Tomar, holding that the prosecution had failed to establish the charges against them beyond a reasonable doubt.

The case dates back to January 2023, when several wrestlers, including Olympians Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia, staged a protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, accusing Singh of sexual harassment and intimidation.

The wrestlers had demanded Singh’s resignation as WFI chief and sought the dissolution of the federation.

The controversy prompted an inquiry committee to be constituted following a complaint to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President, P.T. Usha. The Union Sports Ministry subsequently suspended the functioning of the WFI.

In May 2024, the Rouse Avenue Court framed charges against Singh in connection with allegations relating to sexual harassment and outraging the modesty of five women wrestlers. Singh had pleaded not guilty and opted to face trial.

The case is separate from the POCSO case registered following a complaint by a minor wrestler. In May 2025, a Delhi court accepted the Delhi Police’s cancellation report after the probe agency stated that it had found no corroborative evidence to support the allegations.

Following Singh’s acquittal, wrestler Vinesh Phogat and Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Bajrang Punia expressed disappointment with the verdict and said the decision would be challenged in a higher court. Singh had welcomed the acquittal, describing it as a “victory of the junior players”.