Ex WFI Chief Brij Bhushan Sharam Singh Acquitted By Delhi Court

Former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh has been acquitted by a court in the national capital of Delhi in a sexual harassment case filed by six female wrestlers today. The case got its clearance on August 3, and was one of the most publicised case among the legal battles in Indian sports.

The case stemmed when wrestler Vinesh Phogat said she was one of six female athletes who experienced sexual harassment while he was the head of the WFI. But Singh had vehemently denied all the allegations.

Olympic medallists and top wrestlers, like as Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik, and Bajrang Punia, staged a months-long sit-in at Delhi's Jantar Mantar in 2023 to demand Singh's arrest and expulsion from the federation in response to the claims.

Sports organisations all around the world criticised the protests when police arrested a number of the athletes during a march in the direction of the new Parliament building.

The acquittal came only a few months after Olympian Vinesh Phogat made it public that she was one of the six complainants in the case. Vinesh stated in a video message earlier this year that she had first decided to remain anonymous in compliance with Supreme Court rules safeguarding the identities of survivors of sexual harassment.

Additionally, she said that Singh's influence was still present in the current Wrestling Federation of India and that it would be impossible for athletes to compete properly before the 2026 Asian Games if ranking tournaments were held at a college he owns in Gonda.

In a different instance involving a minor wrestler, Singh, a former BJP MP, was previously exonerated after a Delhi court accepted a police report that suggested the cancellation of the case.

As a result, the criminal proceedings in the case involving the six adult wrestlers, which had grown to be one of the pivotal moments in Indian wrestling over the previous three years has now ended owing to Monday's ruling.