Indus Valley Times

NEW DELHI,MAY 4 : The Supreme Court on Thursday closed the proceedings on a plea filed by women wrestlers against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and asked the protesting grapplers to approach a lower court.

A bench headed by the Chief Justice of India, DY Chandrachud, noted that the petition was filed seeking an FIR and granted liberty to the petitioners to approach the jurisdictional magistrate or the Delhi High Court for any further grievances.

During the hearing, senior advocate Narender Hooda requested the bench to monitor the investigation as the conduct of the Delhi Police in refusing to take action till the Supreme Court’s intervention is questionable.

“We have only said that we are closing the proceedings at this stage, confining ourselves to the prayers. We have not said that this is not worthy of being monitored. You can approach the Magistrate or the Delhi High Court if there are any issues,” the CJI said.

The bench also noted in the order that the Delhi Police have recorded the minor’s statement on April 29 and the statements of four others on May 3 and that the police are taking steps to record statements before a magistrate under Section 164 of the CrPC.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Delhi Police, told the bench that security arrangements have been made for the minor complainant as per the directions of the court and security has also been provided for six other girls at Jantar Mantar.

Senior advocate Harish Salve, appearing on behalf of Brij Bhushan, told the bench that personal allegations have been made against him without making him a party in the case.

On the bench’s query on recording of the statement, the Solicitor General said, “Investigation in this case was done by a senior lady officer and we are doing our best neutrally.”

To this, senior advocate Narender Hooda told the bench that the seven complainants approached the Delhi Police with their complaints on April 21. But no FIR was immediately registered, and they had to knock on the doors of the Supreme Court. Finally, the FIRs were lodged only on April 28.

“So far as the accused is concerned, he has become a TV star. Every day he gives interviews to TV channels. He is taking the names of the complainants, he is naming their akharas. The accused said that he has not been approached by the police so far. Last time, this court said that the identity of the complainants must not be disclosed, but the accused is taking names,” Hooda further said.

Objecting to the submissions, Salve said, “Complainants are themselves sitting in protest.”

Hooda then referred to the scuffle between the Delhi Police and the wrestlers last night.

Responding to this, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said two political leaders of a particular party went there with beds, which the police sought to stop, and this led to a scuffle. He clarified that the theory that the police were drunk is incorrect as the medical tests showed nothing.

The second phase of protests by wrestlers began on April 23 at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. They have accused the WFI chief Brij Bhushan Singh of sexual assault allegations, including that of a minor wrestler.

Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh has denied all charges against him, claiming these protests were politically motivated.

In fact, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh has said that he has got proof to show that protests by wrestlers were part of a “conspiracy” hatched by the Congress and wrestler Bajrang Punia. He said that his mere resignation was not what these protestors had been seeking.

The Delhi Police has filed two FIRs against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh after the Supreme Court intervened. “The first FIR has been registered under the POCSO Act along with relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). It was filed based on the allegations of a minor. The second FIR was registered for a comprehensive investigation into the complaints by other complainants under relevant sections pertaining to outraging of modesty,” the Delhi Police said in a statement.

-PTI