New Delhi: A court here has acquitted Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the former chief of the Wrestling Federation of India, in a sexual harassment and stalking case filed by prominent female wrestlers. The verdict, announced on Monday, came three years after allegations against him triggered months of protests across the country.
Singh, a 69-year-old former politician from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, was formally charged in 2024. He had completed his parliamentary term that year and was not re-nominated, though his son contested and won the same constituency.
Five women had accused Singh of groping and demanding sexual favours, charges he consistently denied. Speaking outside the Rouse Avenue Court after the verdict, Singh told reporters: “I had complete faith that justice would be done. Justice was done. I never considered myself a criminal at all.”
His lawyer, Rajiv Mohan, said Singh had been “honourably acquitted”. The court cited “inconsistencies” in witness statements and a “contradiction on major issues” as grounds for the decision.
Singh’s supporters celebrated outside the court, setting off firecrackers and showering him with flower petals while chanting slogans.
The case had ignited weeks of demonstrations in 2023 led by top female wrestlers, including world championship winner Vinesh Phogat and Olympic bronze medallist Sakshi Malik. Hundreds gathered at a sit-in protest in New Delhi demanding Singh’s removal from the federation. Images of wrestlers being detained while attempting to march to parliament circulated widely on social media, drawing national attention.
Wrestling holds deep cultural roots in rural northern India, and the protest attracted broad public sympathy.
In December 2023, Olympic wrestler Bajrang Punia returned one of India’s highest civilian awards in protest at Singh’s reappointment to the WFI. Malik retired from the sport in protest around the same period.
Despite the acquittal, the wrestlers have refused to accept the outcome. Phogat confirmed on social media that their legal team has been instructed to appeal the verdict “as soon as possible”. “We have not lost hope, and the wrestlers will continue their fight,” she said.
