POCSO case: Delhi court accepts closure report against ex-WFI chief Brij Bhushan Singh

A court in Delhi has accepted the Delhi Police's cancellation report for closure of a sexual harassment case lodged by a minor wrestler against former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and BJP leader Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. "Cancellation accepted," said Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Gomti Manocha of Patiala House Courts.

Earlier on May 17, ASJ Manocha had summoned the wrestler, who had accused Singh of sexual harassment when she was a minor, and directed her to appear before the court on May 26. The police's cancellation report was filed on June 15, 2023, which was not opposed by the complainant.

On August 1, 2023, the victim and her father expressed their satisfaction with the police investigation, raising no objection to the police's report in the case. They had recorded their statement in an in-chamber proceeding before ASJ Chaavi Kapoor. On July 4, 2023, the court sought the complainant's response to the police's cancellation report.

The 550-page report filed by the police before the Patiala House Courts had said that no corroborative evidence was found in the allegations levelled by the minor wrestler. "In the POCSO matter, after completion of the investigation, we have submitted a report under Section 173 of CrPC requesting for cancellation of the case based upon the statements of the complainant, i.e., the father of the victim and the victim herself," Delhi Police said.

The FIR on the accusations levelled by the minor wrestler was filed under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, along with relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) concerning the act of outraging modesty.

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However, the father of the minor wrestler had stepped forward later and claimed that he filed a "false" complaint of sexual harassment against Brij Bhushan. The father alleged that his actions were driven by anger and frustration over the WFI Chief's perceived biased treatment towards his daughter. A second statement by the minor under Section 164 of CrPC was recorded before the court in which she did not allege sexual harassment by Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, as per sources.

The Delhi Police had registered two separate FIRs against the former WFI chief based on sexual harassment allegations. The first FIR pertained to the accusations made by a minor and has been filed under the POCSO Act, along with relevant sections of the IPC (Indian Penal Code) concerning the act of outraging modesty. The second FIR focused on comprehensive investigations into the complaints made by adult complainants and involved relevant sections of the IPC related to outraging of modesty.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DNA staff and is published from IANS)