Delhi Court Acquits Brij Bhushan Singh in Wrestlers' Sexual Harassment Case

A Delhi court on Monday acquitted former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and ex-BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, along with former WFI assistant secretary Vinod Tomar, in the sexual harassment case filed by six women wrestlers in 2023. Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Ashwini Panwar delivered the verdict at the Rouse Avenue Courts complex in New Delhi, bringing to a close one of the most closely watched legal battles to emerge from Indian sport in recent years.

How the Case Unfolded

The allegations trace back to complaints filed in April 2023 by a group of prominent women wrestlers, who accused Singh of sexual harassment during his tenure as WFI president. The complaints triggered weeks of public protest by top athletes at Delhi's Jantar Mantar, drawing national attention to governance and safety concerns within India's sporting federations. Police filed a chargesheet in June 2023, and a Delhi court framed formal charges against Singh in May 2024 under sections of the Indian Penal Code covering assault or criminal force to a woman with intent to outrage her modesty, stalking, and criminal intimidation. Tomar faced a separate charge of criminal intimidation.

Inside the Trial

The trial included in-camera proceedings to protect the complainants' privacy, along with the examination of witnesses on both sides. Prosecutors presented testimony from 32 witnesses before closing their evidence in May 2026. The statements of the accused were recorded the following month, and final arguments from both sides concluded on July 2, 2026, setting the stage for Monday's verdict roughly a month later.

Singh's Reaction

Speaking after the verdict, Singh said the judge had acquitted him and Tomar "with honour," and reiterated a position he has held since the case began: that he would accept the harshest punishment if even a single allegation against him were proven. His acquittal ends nearly three years of legal proceedings that had shadowed his political career, though it is likely to reignite debate given the scale of public attention the original protests received.

Why It Matters

The case became a flashpoint for broader conversations in India about accountability in sports administration and the treatment of athlete complaints against powerful federation officials. Several of the complainant wrestlers, some of them Olympic and Commonwealth medallists, had given up months of training time to sustain the protests, making the episode one of the more prominent public disputes involving a sitting parliamentarian in recent memory. With the criminal case now resolved in Singh's favour, attention is likely to shift to whether any of the complainants pursue further legal recourse, and to the broader institutional reforms within Indian wrestling administration that the episode prompted.

This article is an original editorial summary based on publicly reported information. It has been independently written for publication and does not reproduce content from any single source.