Delhi Court Accepts Closure Report in Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh Case, Madhya Pradesh HC Upholds Dismissal of Judge Accused of Humiliating Lawyers and Police

Strategic Insights -

A Delhi court has accepted the closure report filed by Delhi Police in the sexual harassment case against former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, bringing an end to the case that drew widespread public attention during the nationwide protests by wrestlers in 2023. The closure report was submitted on June 15, 2023, after the wrestler's father admitted to making a false complaint to settle a personal score with Singh. Meanwhile, the Madhya Pradesh High Court has upheld the dismissal of a civil judge accused of humiliating lawyers and police personnel by making them perform squats or touch their ears to seek forgiveness in contempt proceedings.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Delhi court accepted the closure report filed by Delhi Police in the sexual harassment case against former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, citing lack of corroborative evidence.
  • The case was filed by a wrestler who was a minor at the time of the alleged incident and drew widespread public attention during the nationwide protests by wrestlers in 2023.
  • The wrestler's father admitted to making a false complaint to settle a personal score with Singh over what he perceived as "injustice" to his daughter.
  • The Madhya Pradesh High Court upheld the dismissal of a civil judge accused of making lawyers and police personnel perform humiliating tasks in contempt proceedings.
  • The judge, Kaustubh Khera, was discharged due to "unsatisfactory performance" and the resolution for this was filed by the full court.
  • The bench ruled that the judge's discharge cannot be lightly interfered with, as it is the superior authorities of the department who have to take a call on the officer's continuation in service.

Statistics:

  • 1 case formally closed against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh under the Pocso Act.
  • 1 civil judge, Kaustubh Khera, dismissed due to "unsatisfactory performance".
  • June 15, 2023 - Date the closure report was submitted by Delhi Police.
  • May 7, 2023 - Date the Madhya Pradesh High Court verdict was delivered upholding the judge's dismissal.

Sources:

  • "Cancellation accepted." - Court of additional sessions judge Gomti Manocha, as reported by Vineet Upadhyay.
  • May 7, 2023 verdict of the Madhya Pradesh High Court bench of Chief Justice S K Kait and Justice Vivek Jain.