New Delhi: Hours after a Delhi court acquitted former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in the alleged sexual harassment case filed by women wrestlers, he on Monday termed the allegations against him a ‘conspiracy’, saying he had always maintained his innocence and had complete faith in the judicial process.“I said this was a conspiracy, and if any of the allegations against me are found to be true, I will hang myself. To this day, I’ve stood by that statement. Today, after almost three years, the court has honourably acquitted me and Vinod,” Singh said.He said he had always stood up for people whose rights were violated and expressed happiness over what he described as a victory in the fight for junior athletes.“I always stood up for those who were weak, those whose rights were violated. I had complete faith that justice would be done to me, and I never felt guilty. We were fighting for the junior athletes whose rights were being violated, and I am happy that we won that fight,” he added.Following the acquittal, Singh received a warm welcome at his residence, where supporters showered him with flower petals. Crackers were also burst outside his residence as supporters celebrated the verdict.His lawyer, Rajiv Mohan, said the defence would comment in detail after receiving a copy of the judgment.“The court has not yet received a copy of the order. Once it is received, we can inform on what basis the court arrived at its conclusion. The arguments we presented have been accepted,” Rajiv Mohan said.The case stemmed from allegations made by women wrestlers against Singh during his tenure as WFI chief. Delhi Police filed a chargesheet against him in 2023, invoking charges including sexual harassment, assault or criminal force against women, and criminal intimidation.Former WFI assistant secretary Vinod Tomar was also named as a co-accused.Last month, the court had fixed August 3 for pronouncing its judgment in the case.The proceedings were conducted in a closed courtroom.After hearing final arguments from both sides, Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Ashwini Panwar reserved the verdict and directed the parties to file written submissions within two weeks.Senior advocate Rebecca John argued on behalf of the complainants, while the defence team, led by advocate Rajiv Mohan and assisted by Rehan Khan and Rishabh Bhati, concluded its submissions on June 30.The case arose from an FIR registered by Delhi Police after women wrestlers staged a protest at Jantar Mantar, alleging sexual harassment during Singh’s tenure as WFI chief.Delhi Police filed a 1,500-page chargesheet on June 15, 2023, after completing its investigation. The chargesheet invoked Sections 354, 354A, 354D and 506(1) of the Indian Penal Code.During the trial, the court also recorded the statement of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) member on May 12, along with the deposition of the investigating officer.Singh and Tomar had been facing trial over allegations made by women wrestlers from India and abroad, who accused Singh of sexual harassment during his tenure at the helm of the Wrestling Federation of India.(With ANI inputs)
