New Delhi: Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court on Thursday granted regular bail to Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the outgoing President of the Wrestling Federation of India, and Vinod Tomar, the Federation’s assistant secretary, in the sexual harassment case registered against them based on complaints from several wrestlers.
Both Singh and Tomar were granted bail by the court on a personal bail bond of Rs 25,000 each. The court has scheduled the next date of hearing for July 28, 2023, for the scrutiny of documents related to the case.
The court, while granting bail, imposed several conditions on the accused. They are prohibited from directly or indirectly influencing the complainants or witnesses. The court also ordered the accused not to leave the country without prior permission from the court.
Earlier, the court had granted interim bail to both the accused in the case.
On June 15, the Delhi Police filed a charge sheet that involved MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and Vinod Tomar following a complaint lodged by female wrestlers. The charge sheet includes sections 354, 354D, 345A, and 506(1) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), according to Special Public Prosecutor Atul Srivastava.
According to the Chargesheet filed by Delhi Police against the former WFI chief, Brij Bhushan Singh, it states that based on the ongoing investigation, he is deemed “liable to be prosecuted and punished for offences” of sexual harassment, molestation, and stalking.
Following their meeting with Anurag Thakur, the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports of India, on June 7, the wrestlers temporarily halted their protest. Thakur set a deadline of June 15 for appropriate actions to be taken against Brij Bhushan Singh.
India’s prominent wrestlers, including Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, and Bajrang Punia, started a sit-in protest at Jantar Mantar in the national capital in January against Singh, which was then followed by a protest in April to draw attention to the lack of action on their complaints against the WFI chief.