Brij Bhushan sexual harassment case: Mobile phones lying in FSL for last one year, Court calls victim to depose

New Delhi [India], July 26 (ANI): The Rouse Avenue court on Friday deferred the recording of evidence in a sexual harassment case against ex-MP and former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh due to a mobile phone seized during the investigation lying in the Forensic Science Lab (FSL) in Rohini, Delhi.

Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) Priyanka Rajpoot deferred the chief examination of Constable Mukesh Kumar.

Constable Mukesh Kumar was associated with the case investigation and went to the village of the ex-MP in Gonda, Uttar Pradesh. The police team seized two mobile phones from Deepak Singh and Subedar Yadav, which are currently at the FSL.

Meanwhile, the court summoned one victim and another witness, Rashmi, to record their evidence.

The court said that the victim’s statement would be recorded in vulnerable witness room if she would not be comfortable to depose in the court room.

The court has scheduled the matter for August 6.

On July 11, the court directed the trial and recording of the statements of prosecution witnesses in the alleged sexual harassment case against former MP and ex-WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and Vinod Tomar to begin.

Meanwhile, advocate Rajiv Mohan, counsel for Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, withdrew the application seeking direction for certain documents related to foreign travel and hotel stays by Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, CDR, etc., with the liberty to file a fresh application with details of authorities.

The court formally framed the charges against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and Vinod Tomar on May 21. They denied all the allegations and demanded a trial. The court had directed the framing of charges against them on May 10.

On May 10, the court ordered the framing of charges on sexual harassment allegations levelled by several women wrestlers against former WFI chief and BJP leader Brij Bhushan Singh and Tomar.

While passing the order, the court said there was sufficient material against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh to proceed with the sexual harassment of five women wrestlers and the offence of outraging the modesty of women.

“The court found sufficient material to proceed against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh under sections 354 and 354A of the IPC. Charges have also been framed against him under section 506 (part 1) on the allegations of two women. However, the court discharged Brij Bhushan from the allegations made by the sixth wrestler,” the court said.

The court also framed charges against the second accused, Vinod Tomar, under Section 506 (part 1) of the IPC on the allegation of one woman and discharged him from the rest of the allegations made against him. The court has now listed the matter for the official framing of charges on May 21.

The Delhi Police chargesheet filed against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and Vinod Tomar stated that both accused are charge-sheeted for trial ‘without arrest’ as they complied with the directions under Section 41A of the CrPC by joining the investigation.

The chargesheet further stated that based on the investigation so far, Brij Bhushan Singh was “liable to be prosecuted and punished for offences” of sexual harassment, molestation, and stalking.

A 1,599-page chargesheet in the case, containing the statements of 44 witnesses and six statements recorded under Section 164 of the CrPC, was filed.

The Delhi Police chargesheet also submitted several pictures, including those clicked during events.

The chargesheet stated that based on the “investigation so far” of the complaints by six top wrestlers, Singh was “liable to be prosecuted and punished for offences” of sexual harassment, molestation, and stalking.

The chargesheet mentioned that witnesses in the matter saw the physically inappropriate gestures of the then WFI president.

The Delhi Police filed a chargesheet against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and Vinod Tomar on June 15, 2023.

This case was lodged based on a complaint by women wrestlers.

In the wrestlers’ matter, two FIRs were registered against Brij Bhushan Singh based on the wrestlers’ complaints.

One FIR was registered under the POCSO Act, and a cancellation report has been filed in the case of a minor wrestler. The second FIR was filed on the complaint of several wrestlers.

In both matters, Delhi Police officials stated that after the completion of the investigation, a chargesheet was filed for the offences under sections 354, 354A, and 354D of the IPC against accused Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and for offences under sections 109, 354, 354A, and 506 of the IPC against accused Vinod Tomar before the Rouse Avenue Court, according to Suman Nalwa, PRO, Delhi Police.