A court in Delhi on Monday served a notice to the former chief of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and the Delhi Police following a petition filed by four female wrestlers challenging his acquittal in a sexual harassment case.
Special Judge Dig Vinay Singh of the Rouse Avenue Courts also issued notice to WFI’s former assistant secretary and co-accused Vinod Tomar. The matter will now be heard on October 9, 2026, when Singh, Tomar and the Delhi Police are likely to respond to the petition.
WFI's ex-chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh
The criminal revision petition had been filed a few days ago through senior advocate Rebecca John. It challenged the trial court’s judgment pronounced on August 3, calling it ‘archaic’ and founded on ‘stereotypical assumptions’ about the behaviour of the sexual harassment survivors.
Wrestlers challenge reasoning provided by the trial court
The petitioners have contended that the acquittal was ‘unsustainable in law’ and was based on ‘conjectures and surmises,’ rather than a proper and evidence-based assessment of the case.
As per the plea, the trial court relied on assumptions about how victims of sexual assault and harassment were expected to behave instead of assessing the evidence in the context of the circumstances faced by the complainants.
The wrestlers further argued that women reeling under sexual harassment at workplaces may remain silent or delay reporting incidents owing to concerns over their employment and professional position.
Furthermore, the petition challenged what it termed’ an ‘application of an ideal victim standard,’ arguing that the trial court placed undue emphasis on inconsistencies in the recollection of events and the subsequent conduct of the complainants.
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What did the trial court rule?
On August 3 this year, a Delhi magisterial court acquitted Singh and Tomar, citing a lack of evidence. The court called the allegations levelled against Singh ‘false and fabricated,’ and noted that they appeared to form part of a deep-seated conspiracy which seems to be politically motivated.
In its detailed judgment, Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Ashwini Pawar underlined what it described as material contractions in the statements of witnesses, inconsistencies in documentary evidence and the absence of contemporaneous complaints.
Thereafter, it also pointed towards discrepancies concerning the dates and locations of some alleged incidents, as well as the testimony of witnesses who did not support the prosecution’s case.
The acquittal followed a case in which six women wrestlers had levelled allegations of sexual harassment against Singh. The Delhi Police had filed a chargesheet against Singh and Tomar in June 2023, and the court then framed charges against them in May 2024.
Appeal moves to sessions court
The latest petition filed by the wrestlers seeks a review of the acquittal, challenging the trial court’s assessment of the evidence and its interpretation of the conduct of the complainants.
The proceedings initiated before Special Judge Dig Vinay Singh are at an initial stage at present, and the issuance of notice does not amount to a finding on the merits of the appeal or alter the acquittal ordered by the trial court.