Wrestlers’ sexual harassment case: Brij Bhushan Singh gets interim bail, his plea to be heard tomorrow

Singh and Tomar were directed to furnish bail bonds worth Rs 25,000. Arguments for regular bail will be heard on July 20.

Relying on Supreme Court judgements, the Rouse Avenue court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Harjeet Singh Jaspal said the accused can be granted interim bail until the bail application is decided.

“This court is bound to follow the mandate of the Hon’ble Apex Court,” the ACMM said, underlining that “the offences are punishable with imprisonment of 7 years or less and the charge sheet has been filed without arrest and the accused has cooperated throughout in the investigation, including appearing before Investigating Officer whenever called”.

Rajiv Mohan, counsel for the accused, sought bail stating that the accused were chargesheeted without arrest for offences punishable for less than seven years and should, therefore, be granted bail.

Additional Public Prosecutor Atul Kumar Srivastava submitted that even though the chargesheet was filed without arrest, he was opposing the bail application since the accused might “influence the case”.

After Mohan complained that the media had access to the chargesheet and he was concerned that a parallel media trial could start, ACMM Jaspal directed him to file an application if he wanted in-camera proceedings.

On July 7, the court summoned Singh after taking cognizance of a 1,500-page chargesheet filed by the Delhi Police against him for alleged sexual harassment, assault and stalking of six women wrestlers.

Police cited photo and video evidence to corroborate the complaints. The chargesheet against Singh was filed under IPC sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 354A (sexual harassment), 354D (stalking) and 506 (criminal intimidation) whereas Tomar was charged with offences under sections 109 (abetment of any offence, if the act abetted is committed in consequence, and where no express provision is made for its punishment), 354, 354A and 506.

In April, seven wrestlers, including a minor, had filed separate complaints of sexual harassment and criminal intimidation against Singh. In their complaints, they alleged 15 incidents of sexual harassment that include 10 episodes of inappropriate touching, several instances of intimidation including stalking.

The minor and her father, who was the complainant in the second FIR, had later withdrawn their allegations against Singh in a statement before a magistrate, following which the Delhi Police also filed a cancellation report under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The Patiala House court will hear that matter on August 1.