A Delhi court on Monday acquitted former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president and ex-BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, along with former WFI assistant secretary Vinod Tomar, in the sexual harassment case filed by six women wrestlers.
Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Ashwini Panwar of the Rouse Avenue Court pronounced the verdict, stating that both accused were “acquitted with honour.” The court had reserved its judgment after the conclusion of final arguments. Media was not permitted inside the courtroom during the pronouncement.
Speaking to the media outside the court, Singh said he had maintained his innocence from the very first day. “From day one I have been saying that I am innocent. This has been proven right. The court said that we are acquitted with honour,” he stated. He added that he had earlier declared he would face the harshest consequences if even a single allegation was proved, and that the court’s decision after nearly three years had upheld his stand.
The case dates back to early 2023, when a group of top Indian wrestlers, including Olympic medallists Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia, publicly levelled allegations of sexual harassment, intimidation and related misconduct against Singh during his tenure as WFI chief. The wrestlers claimed female athletes had faced inappropriate behaviour at national camps and competitions.
On January 18, 2023, the athletes launched a protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, demanding Singh’s removal, a thorough investigation and changes in the federation’s leadership. The agitation attracted widespread attention. After discussions with the then Sports Minister, the wrestlers temporarily suspended the protest following assurances of an Oversight Committee inquiry.
Protests resumed in April 2023. On April 28, 2023, Delhi Police registered two FIRs at the Connaught Place police station. One was based on complaints by six adult women wrestlers and invoked sections of the Indian Penal Code relating to sexual harassment, outraging the modesty of a woman and stalking. The second FIR, involving a minor wrestler, was registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The controversy escalated through 2023, with wrestlers attempting to march toward the new Parliament building and facing police action that was widely reported. Delhi Police later filed a chargesheet against Singh and Tomar in the adult wrestlers’ case while submitting a closure report in the POCSO matter. In the POCSO case, the minor’s father had stated that the complaint was false, and the complainant later expressed satisfaction with the police investigation. That case was formally closed by a Delhi court in May 2025.
Singh had consistently denied the allegations, describing them as a conspiracy. The trial in the adult wrestlers’ case proceeded at the Rouse Avenue Court. On August 3, 2026, the court acquitted both accused after an in-camera trial, noting contradictions in the complainants’ statements on dates, locations and the sequence of alleged incidents, and holding that the prosecution had failed to prove the charges beyond reasonable doubt. The episode triggered major administrative changes in Indian wrestling, including temporary suspension of WFI activities and eventual elections for a new federation leadership.
