New Delhi: The Delhi Police has completed its arguments on charging BJP MP and ex-Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in a case of alleged sexual harassment by six girls wrestlers. The police arguments continued earlier than the Rouse Avenue Court’s Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Priyanka Rajpoot, who took over the contemporary listening to on Thursday after the switch of ACMM Harjeet Singh Jaspal who had earlier dealt with the case.
The Delhi Police maintained that the incidents of alleged sexual harassment, whether or not taking place overseas or throughout the nation, have been linked and a part of the identical incidence. Therefore, the police mentioned that the courtroom had the authority to listen to the case.
The BJP MP had beforehand challenged the jurisdiction of Delhi courtroom saying that there was no act or consequence which occurred in India. Additional Public Prosecutor Atul Srivastava, representing the Delhi Police, argued that below Section 354 of the IPC, the case just isn’t time-bound, because it carries a most penalty of 5 years.
Addressing the problem of delay in submitting complaints, Srivastava raised the problem of worry among the many girls wrestlers, saying that wrestling was essential of their lives, they usually have been reluctant to return ahead as a result of worries about ruining their careers. The prosecution argued that Brij Bhushan’s defence, claiming his actions have been paternal, confirmed consciousness of his acts.
The accused’s clarification that he was checking respiratory patterns contradicted the victims’ statements about improper touching. The courtroom has now scheduled the matter for additional listening to on January 20 and 23, the place the counsel for the complainants will current their arguments.
On Thursday, the police had mentioned that there’s sufficient prima facie proof to go forward with trial in opposition to Singh and co-accused Vinod Tomar, suspended Assistant Secretary of the WFI. The prosecution has earlier mentioned that the act of sexual harassment of the victims was a unbroken offence, because it didn’t finish at any particular time.
Delhi Police had additionally instructed the courtroom that Singh by no means missed an opportunity to “sexually harass” girls wrestlers, including that there’s sufficient proof to border costs in opposition to him and proceed with the trial.
