New Delhi, September 28, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
A Delhi court on Monday issued notices to former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and former WFI assistant secretary Vinod Tomar on an appeal filed by four women wrestlers challenging their acquittal in the sexual harassment and criminal intimidation case.
Special Judge Dig Vinay Singh of the Rouse Avenue Courts sought responses from Singh, Tomar and the Delhi Police and listed the matter for further hearing on October 9.
The appeal challenges the August 3 judgment of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Ashwini Panwar, who acquitted Singh and Tomar after holding that the prosecution had failed to establish the charges beyond reasonable doubt.
The wrestlers have argued that the trial court’s findings were legally unsustainable and that the evidence was assessed incorrectly and selectively. They have also challenged Tomar’s acquittal on a criminal intimidation charge under Section 506 Part I of the IPC. The appeal further alleges that parts of the trial court’s reasoning relied on what the petition describes as “archaic and stereotypical assumptions” about the expected conduct of victims of sexual harassment and assault.
The matter was initially listed for September 26 but was adjourned after Special Judge Dig Vinay Singh was unavailable due to judicial training. It was subsequently taken up on Monday.
The case stems from allegations raised by women wrestlers in 2023, which triggered protests at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. Delhi Police later filed a chargesheet against Singh and Tomar, and the court framed charges in May 2024. Singh had denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty.
The appeal is separate from a POCSO case involving a minor wrestler. In May 2025, a Delhi court accepted the police cancellation report in that matter after the investigation agency said it had found no corroborative evidence supporting the allegations.
After the August acquittal, wrestlers including Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia had indicated that the verdict would be challenged in a higher court. Singh, meanwhile, had welcomed the judgment and described it as a victory for junior players.
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