Court accepts closure report to cancel sexual harassment case against Brij Bhushan

In 2023, several renowned wrestlers – including Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia and Sangeeta Phogat – had protested for months in New Delhi, demanding the arrest of the then BJP lawmaker for allegedly sexually harassing women wrestlers, including a minor. The harassment took place between 2016 and 2019 at the WFI office, at Mr. Singh’s official residence and also abroad, the protesters had alleged.

As the protest continued for weeks, the Sports Ministry had constituted an oversight committee to internally investigate the matter. The police filed an FIR against Mr. Singh after the intervention of the Supreme Court in May 2023. In June, a 1,000-page chargesheet was filed at the Rouse Avenue court.

Within weeks of lodging the FIR, the Delhi police, in June 2023, filed its closure report in the court in the minor wrestler’s case and sought cancellation of the case involving the girl after her father said that he had made a false complaint of sexual harassment against Mr. Singh to settle scores.