New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday, May 4, closed the proceedings in the petition filed by female wrestlers who wanted their allegations of sexual harassment against the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh to be investigated.
According to Bar and Bench, the bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) D.Y. Chandrachud and Justices P.S. Narasimha and J.B. Pardiwala said that the plea for the registration of a first information report (FIR) has been satisfied.
“The purpose of the plea was registration of FIR which is now registered. Apart from registration of FIR this court had passed some other directions to ensure security to complainants. Police has indicated that proper security has been provided to minor complainants and due security has been provided to others. Having regard to the ambit of the case before us, we close the proceedings now,” the bench said, according to the report.
The petitioner’s counsel, senior advocate Narendar Hooda, asked the court not to close the proceedings because the Delhi police may “drag its feet” if that is done. He said that the police probe should be monitored by a judge or a magistrate. However, the top court said the petitioners may move “the appropriate jurisdictional magisterial court or the high court”.
“We have confined ourselves to the prayer and that is served and if you are aggrieved by magistrate court order you can approach Delhi high court,” CJI Chandrachud said, according to Bar and Bench.
The SC’s decision comes mere hours after the wrestlers alleged that a “drunk policeman” manhandled them and abused them at the protest site in Jantar Mantar on Wednesday night.
Meanwhile, solicitor general Tushar Mehta, representing the Delhi Police, said that the “investigation is on track and statements are being recorded”. The probe is being led by “a senior lady officer and her team”, he said, adding, “There is something more than what meets the eye.”
The petitioners’ counsel also referred to reports about the scuffle between the Delhi police and the wrestlers, to which SG Mehta said that “two political leaders of a particular party went there with beds, which the police sought to stop and this led to a scuffle”, according to LiveLaw. He denied that the policemen were drunk, saying medical tests showed otherwise.