Women wrestlers appeal against Brij Bhushan Singh’s acquittal in sexual harassment case

September 25, 2026

New Delhi: Four women wrestlers have challenged before a sessions court, the acquittal of former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) President, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, and former WFI Assistant Secretary Vinod Tomar, in the alleged sexual harassment and intimidation case.

The appeal has been filed before the Rouse Avenue Court, challenging the August 3 judgment of the trial court that acquitted Singh and Tomar after holding that the prosecution had failed to establish the charges beyond reasonable doubt.

The sessions court is likely to hear the appeal on Friday. In their appeal, the women wrestlers have contended that the trial court’s judgment is not sustainable in law and that the evidence was assessed incorrectly.

The appeal also seeks to overturn the acquittal of Tomar, who was facing trial under Section 506 Part I of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in relation to allegations made by one of the complainants.

Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) Ashwini Panwar of the Rouse Avenue Courts had, on August 3, acquitted Brij Bhushan and Tomar, holding that the prosecution failed to establish the charges beyond reasonable doubt.

The case dates back to January 2023, when wrestlers, including Olympians Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia, launched a protest at Jantar Mantar, accusing Brij Bhushan of sexual exploitation and intimidation.

The wrestlers had demanded the BJP leader’s resignation as WFI chief and sought the dissolution of the federation.

Following a complaint to Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President, P.T. Usha, an enquiry committee comprising eminent sportspersons, including Mary Kom and Yogeshwar Dutt, was constituted.

However, the WFI denied the allegations against its then president and coaches. The Union Sports Ministry subsequently suspended the functioning of the WFI and sidelined then Assistant Secretary Vinod Tomar amid the controversy.

The criminal proceedings gathered pace in May 2024, when the Rouse Avenue Court framed charges against Brij Bhushan and Vinod Tomar. The trial court had found sufficient material to proceed against the former WFI chief on charges relating to sexual harassment and outraging the modesty of five women wrestlers.

Brij Bhushan had pleaded not guilty and claimed trial, maintaining that he was innocent. During the pendency of the trial, Brij Bhushan had also approached the Delhi High Court seeking quashing of the FIR, chargesheet and criminal proceedings.

The petition remained pending even as the trial continued.

The present case is distinct from the separate POCSO case lodged by a minor wrestler against Brij Bhushan.

In May 2025, a Delhi court accepted the Delhi Police’s cancellation report in that case after the probe agency said it found no corroborative evidence to support the allegations. The complainant and her father had not opposed the cancellation report.

Following Brij Bhushan’s acquittal, wrestler Vinesh Phogat and Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist Bajrang Punia had expressed disappointment with the verdict and said that the women wrestlers would challenge the decision in a higher court.

In a statement released on X, they said the legal battle was far from over and that their legal team had been instructed to file an appeal.

“We are deeply saddened that the court did not find Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh guilty of the sexual harassment allegations made by the women wrestlers,” the statement had said.

They had also said that the women wrestlers had not lost hope and would continue their legal fight.

Meanwhile, Brij Bhushan had welcomed the acquittal and said the verdict was a “victory of the junior players”.

Speaking to IANS after the verdict, Singh had said, “This is not my victory. This is the victory of junior players. The junior players have won. And this case has proved that even Olympians and Olympic medal winners can lie for their own interests.”

Earlier, he had described the verdict as a “moment of happiness” for him and his supporters and said that he would have accepted the court’s decision even if he had been found guilty.