New Delhi, May 4.
The Supreme Court on Thursday closed a petition filed by women wrestlers complaining over Delhi police refusal to file an FIR against Wresting Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan and asked the players to approach the magistrate or the High Court in case of any fresh grievance.
The wrestlers have accused Brij Bhushan of sexual harassment. The victims include a minor who has won medals for this country. They had demanded that an FIR be filed into their charges and the case investigated. Delhi police has since filed an FIR regarding the allegations.
A bench led by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud refused to monitor the case any further on the ground that their prayer for an FIR has been acceded to.
Before closing the case, the CJI asked Delhi police some cursory questions about the progress of investigations in the case. Delhi police, through Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, claimed that security had been provided to the minor victim.
Statements of some of the seven complainants had been recorded. More will be recorded tomorrow. The minor victim’s statement has also been recorded under Section 161, CrPC, Delhi police said.
To a specific query on whether the victims’ (Section) 164, CrPC, statements had been recorded by the magistrate, Mehta said that it hadn’t been done. He claimed that this hadn’t been done as the magistrate would have to give a time for this.
When the bench sought to know if time had been sought, Mehta said that Delhi police was yet to approach the magistrate. Delhi police would decide the chronology of who will be investigated when and that cannot be decided by the complainants, he said.
“We are impartial,” he claimed. He also blamed yesterday’s scuffle at Jantar Mantar, in which several male wrestlers were injured, on political party leaders taking mattresses and cots to the protest site.
Senior advocate Narender Hooda claimed that the accused was running around giving TV interviews and naming the complainants. He said that the minor victim was interrogated for hours, a claim disputed by Delhi police.
Senior advocate Harish Salve appeared for Brij Bhushan during the hearing. He said that if the issue was about filing an FIR, he had nothing to say but would oppose anything more.
“We are only concerned that the investigation is done properly,” Chandrachud observed before disposing of the petition. He, however, refused a prayer to keep the petition pending or have the case monitored by a retired judge.
