A Delhi court recorded the statement of an SIT member in the sexual harassment case against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. Meanwhile, the former WFI chief denied any role in the wrestling body's decision to bar Vinesh Phogat from a tournament.
Sexual Harassment Case Hearing
Rouse Avenue court recorded the statement of a member of SIT in a sexual harassment case against former BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. The court has listed the matter for the recording of the statement of the investigation officer (IO) on May 15 and May 19.
Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) Ashwani Panwar recorded the statement of Inspector Sandeep, a member of the Special Investigation Team that investigated the sexual harassment case against former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president. Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and Vinod Tomar are facing trial in a case connected with the allegations of sexual harrasment of women wrestlers in India and abroad by Singh when he was heading the WFI. Women wrestlers participated in a protest at Jantar Mantar back in 2023. An FIR was lodged by the Delhi Police on the basis of complaint given by women Wrestler. Delhi Police had filed a charge sheet after investigation against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and Vinod Tomar. Now the prosecution's evidence in near to be closed.
Brij Bhushan Distances Himself from WFI
Meanwhile, speaking to the media outside the court, Brij Bhushan claimed no role in the wrestling body's decisions after Vinesh Phogat was declared ineligible to compete in the National Open Ranking Tournament in Gonda. Denying Vinesh Phogat's allegations, Brij Bhushan claimed that the WFI never prevents any athlete from competing in a tournament.
The former WFI chief said, "I am currently cleaning up the mess that this lady left behind. Furthermore, the question of where a wrestling match will or will not take place is not a matter that concerns me. That subject currently falls under the purview of the WFI--the Wrestling Federation of India. It is for them to decide where matches will be held, where they won't, who gets to compete, and who does not."
"However, since I have served as the president of the Wrestling Federation of India. Therefore, based on my own experience, I state that the WFI never prevents any athlete from competing. This is because the WFI exists solely for the athletes. If anyone was indeed prevented from competing, the reason for doing so must have been provided," he added.
WFI-Vinesh Phogat Row
The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) had issued a show-cause notice to Vinesh Phogat on May 9, in which the three-time Olympian was accused of indiscipline and alleged anti-doping violations and was declared ineligible to compete in the National Open Ranking Tournament in Gonda.
On Monday, she said that she was neither allowed to complete her verification nor permitted to use the training hall at Gonda, where she had gone to participate in the 2026 Senior Open Ranking Tournament.
Replying to the show-cause notice, Vinesh Phogat said she had written approval from the International Testing Agency (ITA) allowing her to compete from January 1 and had also been permitted to register for the tournament in Gonda.
The recent row began when wrestler Vinesh Phogat revealed that she is one of the six women wrestlers who had filed sexual harassment complaints against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. Vinesh Phogat was one of the leading faces of the wrestlers' protest in 2023. (ANI)
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