HC says no stay on trial against ex-WFI chief Brij Bhushan

New Delhi: Delhi High Court on Thursday clarified that there is no stay on the trial court proceedings against former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and ex-BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in the sexual harassment case filed by several women wrestlers. The court made the remark while adjourning Singh's plea seeking quashing of the FIR and charges framed against him. Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma listed the matter for hearing in April after Singh's counsel sought an adjournment, citing the unavailability of the main arguing lawyer. The court also directed that the trial court record be placed before it on the next date.
Questioning the delay in arguments, Justice Sharma asked the petitioner's counsel why the plea had not been argued even once. "Why are you not arguing this? Since you have filed it, this matter was not argued even once," the judge said. The lawyer assured the bench that the petition would be argued at the next hearing. "There is no stay… It is clarified there is no stay of proceedings before the trial court," the judge reiterated while deferring the matter. Singh approached the high court in 2024, alleging he had been falsely implicated and that the investigation was biased. In his plea, he claimed the probe relied solely on the statements of the complainants—who, he alleged, were seeking revenge—and that the chargesheet was filed without proper scrutiny. On May 21, 2024, the trial court framed charges of sexual harassment, criminal intimidation and outraging the modesty of women against Singh. It also framed a charge of criminal intimidation against co-accused and former WFI assistant secretary Vinod Tomar. The FIR was registered in May 2023 after the Supreme Court intervened.