Four women wrestlers challenge August 3 verdict acquitting former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and Vinod Tomar in sexual harassment case
New Delhi, Sept 2026 : A Delhi court on Saturday adjourned to September 28 the hearing on an appeal filed by four women wrestlers challenging the acquittal of former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and former WFI assistant secretary Vinod Tomar in a sexual harassment and criminal intimidation case.
The matter was listed before the Rouse Avenue Courts but could not be taken up as Special Judge Dig Vinay Singh was unavailable and attending judicial training. The court has now fixed Monday, September 28, for hearing the petition.
The wrestlers have challenged the August 3 judgment of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Ashwini Panwar, which acquitted Singh and Tomar after the trial court concluded that the prosecution had failed to establish the charges beyond reasonable doubt. The appeal has been filed before the sessions court and also challenges Tomar’s acquittal in connection with the allegation of criminal intimidation under Section 506 Part I of the Indian Penal Code.
In their petition, the wrestlers have argued that the trial court’s judgment is legally unsustainable and reflects what they describe as an erroneous and selective appreciation of the evidence presented during the proceedings. They have also alleged that the judgment relied on assumptions about how victims of sexual harassment were expected to behave rather than assessing the evidence in the circumstances of each complainant.
The petition challenges the reasoning adopted by the trial court and seeks reconsideration of the findings that resulted in the acquittals. The court will now examine the maintainability and substance of the challenge during the proceedings.
The case stems from allegations made by women wrestlers against Singh, who was then heading the WFI. The controversy became a major public issue after leading wrestlers began protesting at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar in 2023, demanding action against the federation chief and changes in the functioning of the wrestling body.
Among those who publicly participated in the protests were Olympians Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia. The wrestlers alleged sexual harassment and intimidation and demanded Singh’s removal as WFI president.
Following complaints, the Indian Olympic Association constituted an inquiry committee comprising prominent sportspersons, including former Olympic medalist boxer Mary Kom and wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt. The allegations were denied by the WFI and Singh during the controversy.
The Union Sports Ministry subsequently suspended the functioning of the WFI amid the dispute and took steps affecting the role of its then assistant secretary Vinod Tomar.
The criminal case proceeded before the Rouse Avenue Courts. In May 2024, the court framed charges against Singh in relation to allegations made by five women wrestlers. Tomar was also charged with criminal intimidation in connection with one of the complaints. The proceedings continued for more than three years before the trial court delivered its verdict on August 3, 2026.
The trial court ultimately acquitted Singh and Tomar. The verdict followed arguments by the prosecution, complainants and the accused. The court had earlier reserved its judgment after completion of final arguments.
Singh had pleaded not guilty to the allegations and maintained that he was innocent. During the proceedings, he had also approached the Delhi High Court seeking relief in relation to the FIR, chargesheet and criminal case.
The present proceedings are separate from another case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act involving a minor wrestler. In that matter, a Delhi court accepted a cancellation report filed by the Delhi Police after the investigating agency said it had found no corroborative evidence to substantiate the allegations. The complainant and her father did not oppose the cancellation report.
Following Singh’s acquittal in the main case, Phogat and Punia had publicly expressed disappointment and indicated that the wrestlers would challenge the verdict in a higher court. They said their legal team had been asked to initiate the appeal process.
Singh, meanwhile, welcomed the trial court’s verdict and described it as a victory for junior wrestlers. Speaking after the judgment, he rejected the allegations and said the case demonstrated that even prominent athletes could make claims for their own interests.
The latest appeal marks the next stage in the long-running legal dispute. The proceedings on September 28 will determine how the sessions court proceeds with the wrestlers’ challenge to the August 3 acquittal.
(Disclaimer :The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)
