Today, On 18th October, The Delhi High Court sought the State’s response to Brij Bhushan’s request for an early hearing of his petition to quash charges against him. The Court questioned the basis for the request, asking if the early hearing was justified solely because one witness had been examined, before ultimately issuing a notice.
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court today requested a response from the Delhi government regarding an application filed by former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, seeking an early hearing of his plea to quash criminal proceedings related to sexual harassment allegations.
In the same application, Singh also requested a stay of the ongoing criminal trial until his quashing petition is considered. Former WFI assistant secretary Vinod Tomar, accused of intimidating a wrestler, has made a similar request for relief.
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Before issuing notice in the case. Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri briefly addressed the matter, asking,
“What is the ground for the early hearing application? That one witness has been examined in the trial?”
Delhi government Standing Counsel Sanjeev Bhandari accepted the notice, and the case is set to be heard on December 16.
Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh faces sexual harassment allegations from six wrestlers. Following their complaint, the Delhi Police filed a chargesheet against him in June 2023 under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including Section 354 (outraging modesty), 354A (sexual harassment), 354D (stalking), and 506(1) (criminal intimidation).
In May 2024, a Delhi court found sufficient evidence to frame charges against Singh and formally charged him. Vinod Tomar, the co-accused, was also charged with criminal intimidation in relation to a female wrestler.
Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh approached the Delhi High Court to seek the quashing of the criminal proceedings against him.
During an August hearing, Justice Neena Bansal Krishna expressed skepticism, noting,
“There can’t be an omnibus order on everything. If you wanted to quash the order on charge, you could have come. Once the trial has started, this is nothing but an oblique way.”
In his application for an early hearing, Singh highlighted that his plea had been scheduled for January 13, 2025. He argued that the trial has been progressing with weekly hearings and that by January, all witnesses are likely to have been examined.
Given these circumstances, Singh urged the court to hear his quashing plea sooner, emphasizing that the continuation of the trial would cause him significant prejudice and mental distress.
The early hearing application filed through advocate Rajiv Mohan.
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