A Delhi court on Monday acquitted former BJP MP and ex-Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and co-accused Vinod Tomar in the alleged sexual harassment case filed by women wrestlers.
Soon after the court verdict, the BJP leader pointed out that the court used the term "honourably acquitted", suggesting "I told you so".
"The day the accusation was leveled against me, I had said that if the charge were proven, I would willingly hang myself; today, the court has acquitted me and used the term 'honourably acquitted.' What's done is done," the 69-year-old BJP leader told NDTV right after his acquittal.
The Rouse Avenue court on July 2 had reserved the order for August 3 after completion of the final arguments in the case lodged by six women wrestlers.
In May 2024, a court had ordered the framing of a charge of criminal intimidation against Singh. It had, however, discharged him in a complaint filed by one of the six women wrestlers.
The ex-MP's supporters burst crackers, threw flower petals on him, raised "zindabad" slogans as the leader returned to his Delhi home after the court verdict.
"Everyone is in a great mood and really happy," WFI President Sanjay Singh, a key aide of Brij Bhushan Singh, said on the BJP leader's acquittal.
The case is linked to an FIR registered by Delhi Police following a protest by women wrestlers at Jantar Mantar, where allegations of sexual harassment during Singh's tenure as WFI chief were raised. Earlier, Delhi Police had filed a 1500-page charge sheet on June 15, 2023, after completing its investigation into the allegations.
The accused have been facing trial in connection with allegations made by women wrestlers from India and abroad, who had accused Singh of sexual harassment during his tenure at the helm of the Wrestling Federation of India.
Under fire from the opposition and wary of the optics, Brij Bhushan was denied a ticket to defend Uttar Pradesh's Kaiserganj Lok Sabha seat in 2024. The BJP, instead, fielded his son, Karan Bhushan Singh, who won the seat.
