Outgoing Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, accused in a case of alleged sexual harassment of ladies wrestlers, on Wednesday informed a Delhi courtroom that hugging or touching a girl with no sexual intent just isn’t an offence.
Singh made the submissions earlier than Further Chief Metropolitan Justice of the Peace Harjeet Singh Jaspal via his lawyer whereas opposing framing of expenses towards him.
The courtroom on Wednesday began listening to arguments on level of whether or not to border the costs towards Singh and co-accused and suspended WFI assistant secretary Vinod Tomar.
Advocate Rajiv Mohan, showing for Singh, additional informed the courtroom that the allegations had been time barred.
“These beauty grounds will not maintain that I (complainant) was beneath risk. If you happen to (complainants) are transferring freely and for 5 years you didn’t come ahead after which saying that you simply had been beneath risk just isn’t a sound clarification,” he mentioned.
The counsel added that the courtroom had no jurisdiction to attempt the case for the reason that offences are alleged to have been dedicated exterior India.
If we take these allegations, Indian jurisdiction solely lies in three of those allegations. The offences dedicated exterior India can’t be tried by the courtroom because of the lack of sanction beneath. Two offences are associated to Ashoka Highway and Siri Fort. Offence at Siri Fort is simply of hugging… Touching a girl with no felony drive or sexual intent just isn’t an offence,” he mentioned.
Mohan added that wrestling is such an occasion, largely coaches are male. Feminine coaches are uncommon. If a coach, out of pleasure, after an achievement, is hugging a participant, it may well’t fall beneath the class of offence… The occasion is such and if a male coach hugs a participant out of hysteria just isn’t an offence.
The courtroom will proceed to listen to the matter on Thursday.
The metropolitan courtroom had on July 20 granted bail to Singh and Tomar on a bond of Rs 25,000 every with sure circumstances, together with they shall not depart the nation with out the courtroom’s prior permission and never supply any inducement to witnesses.
The Delhi Police had filed a cost sheet towards the six-time MP on June 15 beneath sections 354 (assault or felony drive to girl with intent to outrage her modesty), 354-A (sexual harassment), 354-D (stalking) and 506 (felony intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.
