Wrestlers’ Protest: SC Shuts Matter, Asks Wrestlers To Approach Lower Courts

New Delhi: The Supreme Court summoned the protesting wrestlers to go approach a lower court on Thursday after concluding the hearing on a petition filed by female wrestlers against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

An oral plea by the lawyers for the wrestlers that the current probe be overseen by a retired or sitting high court judge was rejected by a bench chaired by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud.
The court further stated that the FIR lodged against the WFI chairman met the aim of the protesting grapplers’ plea.

Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh was accused of sexual harassment by three female wrestlers.

After noting that seven complainants had received adequate security and that FIRs had been filed, the Supreme Court declared the case concluded.

“You came here specifically asking for the filing of an FIR and protection for the complainants. Your two prayers have now been addressed,” the bench, which comprised of  Justices PS Narasimha and J B Pardiwala, stated that if there were any further grievances, they may be addressed to the high court or the competent magistrate and that the proceedings were now coming to an end.

The court instructed the petitioners to get additional remedies from the high court or the jurisdictional magistrate.

The wrestlers have been staging dharna at Jantar Mantar since April 23. They have levelled allegations of sexual harassment against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who is also a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Uttar Pradesh.