A Delhi court on Monday sought responses from former Wrestling Federation of India president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, former federation official Vinod Tomar, and the state regarding a legal challenge against their acquittal in a sexual harassment case.
Special Judge Dig Vinay Singh issued formal notices on the criminal appeal moved by four female wrestlers contesting the lower court’s judgment. The matter has been scheduled for its next hearing on October 9.
Plea Challenges Evidentiary Assessment
The appeal, submitted on September 25, contends that the magistrate’s decision to clear both men cannot stand under the law. In their petition, the four athletes argued that the trial court’s verdict was grounded in a flawed and selective reading of the record, depended on conjecture, and departed from binding legal precedents.
The wrestlers also submitted that substantial portions of the trial judgment relied on archaic and stereotypical expectations concerning the conduct of sexual assault and harassment victims, rather than assessing the evidence objectively against the realities and circumstances faced by the complainants.
In addition to challenging the exoneration of Singh, who is also a former Bharatiya Janata Party member of parliament, the appeal contests the acquittal of Tomar, the former assistant secretary of the national wrestling body, who had faced a criminal intimidation charge.
Background Of Magisterial Court Ruling
The current proceedings arise from an August 3 decision by a magisterial court that cleared Singh of all sexual harassment allegations brought by six female wrestlers, including World Championships medallist Vinesh Phogat. The trial court had dismissed the prosecution’s case citing insufficient evidence to sustain the charges, while simultaneously clearing Tomar of intimidation allegations.
