Delhi Court Rules Allegations Against Brij Bhushan Were Planted
A court in New Delhi has held that sexual harassment allegations against former BJP MP and former Wrestling Federation of India president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh were rehearsed, planted, and part of a politically motivated deep conspiracy. Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Ashwani Panwar made the observations in a detailed 239-page order following the court's August 3 decision to acquit Singh of all charges.
The court acquitted Singh of charges under IPC sections 354 (assault or criminal force to a woman to outrage her modesty), 354A (sexual harassment), and 506 (I) (criminal intimidation). Former WFI assistant secretary Vinod Tomar was also acquitted of charges under IPC section 506 (I).
In the judgment, Magistrate Panwar observed that the allegations appeared imperfect to be true and were filed after a long period of time. The court cited material contradictions in successive versions provided by survivors, documentary evidence inconsistent with alleged dates and circumstances, and evidence of tutoring.
Highlighting specific discrepancies, the court noted that an alleged incident during an Olympic qualifier was initially stated to have occurred in Turkiye in 2015, but was later claimed to have taken place in Mongolia in 2016. The judge stated that this shift was not a mere variation in peripheral details.
The order also noted that major allegations involving the Asian Games in Jakarta and the Tokyo Olympics were absent from earlier affidavits submitted before the oversight committee. Furthermore, a prosecution witness changed the date of an alleged incident at the WFI office from a Sunday, when the office was closed, to a Monday—a change the court termed a material improvement. Another witness claim regarding an incident during a warm-up on February 28, 2018, contradicted official event schedules.
The court pointed out abnormal conduct by survivors, including maintaining cordial relations with Singh for years after the alleged incidents and inviting him to family functions and weddings. The judge noted that while it was understandable that complainants might fear career damage while Singh was WFI president, maintaining long-term cordial relations remained unexplainable.
According to the court order, two of the five victims turned hostile and admitted that no acts of sexual harassment were committed against them, stating their earlier statements were given under threat. The judge concluded that the false allegations were made collectively at the instance of two other wrestlers and coaches of Mahadev Academy as part of a deep, politically motivated conspiracy.
The court also questioned the preparation of the formal complaints, noting that no allegations of sexual harassment were raised before the dharna, after which selected wrestlers came forward with tailor-made complaints.
