New Delhi: The Delhi Police has completed its arguments on charging BJP MP and ex-Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in a case of alleged sexual harassment by six ladies wrestlers. The police arguments continued earlier than the Rouse Avenue Courtroom’s Further Chief Metropolitan Justice of the Peace (ACMM) Priyanka Rajpoot, who took over the recent listening to on Thursday after the switch of ACMM Harjeet Singh Jaspal who had earlier dealt with the case.
The Delhi Police maintained that the incidents of alleged sexual harassment, whether or not occurring overseas or inside the nation, have been linked and a part of the identical prevalence. Due to this fact, the police stated that the court docket had the authority to listen to the case.
The BJP MP had beforehand challenged the jurisdiction of Delhi court docket saying that there was no act or end result which occurred in India. Further Public Prosecutor Atul Srivastava, representing the Delhi Police, argued that below Part 354 of the IPC, the case will not be time-bound, because it carries a most penalty of 5 years.
Addressing the problem of delay in submitting complaints, Srivastava raised the problem of worry among the many ladies wrestlers, saying that wrestling was crucial of their lives, and so they have been reluctant to come back ahead as a result of worries about ruining their careers. The prosecution argued that Brij Bhushan’s defence, claiming his actions have been paternal, confirmed consciousness of his acts.
The accused’s clarification that he was checking respiratory patterns contradicted the victims’ statements about improper touching. The court docket has now scheduled the matter for additional listening to on January 20 and 23, the place the counsel for the complainants will current their arguments.
On Thursday, the police had stated that there’s sufficient prima facie proof to go forward with trial in opposition to Singh and co-accused Vinod Tomar, suspended Assistant Secretary of the WFI. The prosecution has earlier stated that the act of sexual harassment of the victims was a unbroken offence, because it didn’t finish at any particular time.
Delhi Police had additionally instructed the court docket that Singh by no means missed an opportunity to “sexually harass” ladies wrestlers, including that there’s sufficient proof to border expenses in opposition to him and proceed with the trial.
