The testimony was recorded in a vulnerable witness room by Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) Priyanka Rajpoot, with the assistance of Additional Public Prosecutor (APP) Atul Srivastava. The continuation of her testimony has been scheduled for September 10.
New Delhi: On Friday(23rd Aug), the Rouse Avenue court recorded the testimony of a female wrestler, a complainant in the sexual harassment case against former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) Chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
The testimony was recorded in a vulnerable witness room by Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) Priyanka Rajpoot, with the assistance of Additional Public Prosecutor (APP) Atul Srivastava. The continuation of her testimony has been scheduled for September 10.
Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh was present during the proceedings. The court decided that the victim’s testimony would be recorded in a vulnerable witness room, with media access prohibited.
However, defense counsel Rajiv Mohan objected to cross-examining the victim via video conferencing, arguing that such a provision applies only to minors, not adult victims. In contrast, the complainants’ counsel argued that the victim qualifies as a vulnerable witness.
Earlier, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) for New Delhi assured the court that there had been no withdrawal of security for the victim, attributing any confusion to a miscommunication that had since been rectified. The DCP joined the proceedings via video conferencing and confirmed that security would remain in place until all witness testimonies are complete.
This case arose in January 2023, when several women wrestlers accused Brij Bhushan of sexual exploitation and intimidation. On June 15, 2023, the Delhi police filed a chargesheet against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and Vinod Tomar, based on the complaints lodged by the female wrestlers.
Additionally, the court addressed charges against co-accused Vinod Tomar, the former assistant secretary of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI). He faces accusations of criminal intimidation relating to Victim No 1. Nevertheless, Tomar was exonerated of any abetment charges connected to other accused individuals, as the court clarified-
When the complainants appealed to the Supreme Court to ensure that an FIR was filed against Singh, the Delhi Police later informed the apex court that the investigation was in progress and proceeding as planned.
During these proceedings, a minor wrestler initially accused Singh, but later withdrew her claim. Consequently, the Delhi Police filed a cancellation report regarding her case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act).
