NEW DELHI (Diya TV) — Former BJP MP and ex-Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh on Monday walked free after a Delhi court acquitted him in the sexual harassment case filed by six women wrestlers. The ruling closed a legal battle that drew nationwide attention and sparked one of the biggest protests in Indian sports in recent years.
Soon after the verdict, Singh welcomed the decision and repeated that he had maintained his innocence from the beginning. He said the judgment brought happiness to him and his supporters.
“The court has acquitted me with honour. It is a matter of happiness for me and my supporters,” Singh said. He also added that everything happens according to the will of Lord Ram. Singh recalled his earlier statement and said that if the allegations had been true, he would have accepted the consequences. Instead, he said the court had cleared him of all charges.
Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Ashwini Panwar of the Rouse Avenue Court delivered the verdict on Monday. The judgment ended the criminal proceedings in a case that had remained in the spotlight for more than three years.
Meanwhile, Singh’s supporters celebrated outside the court. They burst crackers, showered flower petals on him, and raised slogans in his support. In addition, Wrestling Federation of India President Sanjay Singh welcomed the decision. He said everyone associated with Singh felt happy after the court’s ruling.
The case began in 2023 when several of India’s leading wrestlers accused Singh of sexual harassment. Olympic medalists Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia, along with world championship medalist Vinesh Phogat, became the public faces of the protest. Their campaign quickly gained national attention and also attracted international support.
The wrestlers first gathered at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. They demanded that the Wrestling Federation of India be dissolved, Singh be removed from his post, and an independent investigation begin. At that stage, the protesters agreed to end their demonstration after the central government promised to form an oversight committee to examine the allegations.
However, the dispute did not end there. A few months later, the wrestlers returned to Jantar Mantar. They expressed disappointment over what they described as slow progress in the inquiry. At the same time, seven women wrestlers, including one minor, submitted separate complaints against Singh at the Connaught Place police station in Delhi.
Initially, the Delhi Police did not register a First Information Report, or FIR, based on the complaints. As a result, the wrestlers continued their sit-in protest. They insisted that the police begin legal action without further delay. Soon afterward, they approached the Supreme Court and requested directions for the police to register an FIR.
The protest gathered momentum as more athletes and supporters joined the movement. Images of the demonstrations spread across television and social media platforms. Consequently, the issue became one of the most widely discussed topics in Indian sports. Many athletes, political leaders, and civil society groups closely followed the developments.
On April 28, 2023, the protesting wrestlers announced that they would continue their demonstration until Singh was sent to jail. They said they would not leave the protest site until authorities acted on their complaints. Their determination kept public attention focused on the case for months.
Throughout the legal process, Singh consistently denied all allegations against him. He repeatedly stated that he had done nothing wrong and argued that the accusations were false. His legal team also maintained his innocence during the court proceedings.
Monday’s acquittal now brings the criminal case to an end. The verdict marks the conclusion of a chapter that deeply affected Indian wrestling and generated intense public debate. Even so, the protests led to wider discussions about athlete safety, accountability in sports bodies, and the handling of harassment complaints.
