HC asks Delhi Police to reply to Brij Bhushan’s plea for early hearing

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court has requested responses from the city police and wrestlers regarding a plea from former Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Singh, who is seeking an expedited hearing to quash an FIR filed against him by multiple women wrestlers. Singh has asked for an earlier hearing date than January 13, 2025, arguing that the trial court is currently recording prosecution evidence and that most witnesses will have been examined by the time the case reaches the high court.

Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri issued a notice to the Delhi Police and the wrestlers, directing them to respond to Singh’s application, which also requests that the trial court halt proceedings until his petition is resolved. During the brief hearing, Singh’s lawyer, Rajiv Mohan, highlighted that the special court is convening weekly, with one victim already having testified.

Singh, a former BJP MP, faces allegations of sexual assault from several female wrestlers, who protested for weeks demanding an investigation. The Delhi Police filed the FIR following Supreme Court intervention in May 2023. After charges of sexual harassment and intimidation were framed against Singh on May 21, he claimed he had been falsely implicated and that the investigation was biased, asserting that only the victims’ accounts were considered.

Singh’s petition argues that the trial court proceedings violate legal principles, as each alleged incident is a “standalone offence.”