In a case related to alleged sexual harassment of female wrestlers, BJP Member of Parliament Brij Bhushan Singh was granted bail on Thursday by the court. In the court, Brij Bhushan’s lawyers presented their arguments. They argued that the Over Site Committee was formed based on tweets, and among the six complainants, only two had submitted written affidavits before the committee.
Brij Bhushan’s legal team contended that one complainant had accused Brij Bhushan of sexual harassment in the Delhi office of the Wrestling Federation of India but repeatedly changed the date of the incident. They mentioned that while one statement by the complainant in the FIR states the incident occurred on October 16, 2017, the complainant’s initial statement only mentioned the month of October. The lawyer highlighted that the complainant stated two separate incidents, one on October 16 and another on October 17, and the committee’s records and initial affidavit did not mention any incident from October 17.
The legal team argued that despite the Over Site Committee’s impartiality, they failed to find any evidence of sexual harassment, and they noted that sexual harassment complaints should be based on concrete facts, especially when the complaint is against someone unknown, and not when athletes hug each other during an ongoing wrestling event. They also mentioned that the committee’s records and the initial affidavit did not mention any incident from October 17. They concluded that the Over Site Committee, established under the Protection of Women from Sexual Harassment (POSH) Act, should have considered the complainant’s initial statement.
The court further remarked that despite conducting an impartial inquiry, the Over Site Committee did not present any findings related to sexual harassment allegations. Brij Bhushan’s legal team added that no specific charges were made regarding sexual harassment in the committee’s findings.
In the case of alleged sexual harassment of female wrestlers, Brij Bhushan Singh appeared in court on Thursday seeking bail. After a full hearing at the Rose Avenue Court, the next hearing in the case will take place on October 21. The legal team argued that the committee constituted under the POSH Act should have considered the initial statement submitted by the complainant.
