- Four women wrestlers challenged Brij Bhushan Singh’s sexual harassment acquittal.
- They appealed to Sessions Court against the trial court’s order.
- Wrestlers argue acquittal based on assumptions and misapplied legal principles.
- They question reliance on outdated notions about survivor conduct.
Four women wrestlers have challenged the acquittal of former BJP MP and former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in the sexual harassment case against him.
The wrestlers have approached the Sessions Court against the trial court’s order acquitting Singh. They have also challenged the acquittal of co-accused Vinod Tomar in the case.
The appeal is expected to come up for an important hearing at Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court on Saturday.
Wrestlers Challenge Acquittal Order
In their appeal, the women wrestlers have argued that the magistrate court’s acquittal order is not legally sustainable. They have alleged that the evidence presented in the case was assessed incorrectly and selectively.
The petition further claims that the trial court’s conclusions were based on assumptions and speculation, while established legal principles were not properly applied while assessing the case.
The wrestlers have also raised concerns over the approach taken towards the conduct and behaviour of the complainants.
What Wrestlers Have Argued
According to the appeal, the acquittal order relied on what the wrestlers describe as outdated and stereotypical notions about how a sexual harassment survivor should behave.
The petition argues that the conduct of a complainant should not be assessed through conventional assumptions about how a victim is expected to respond following an alleged incident.
The four wrestlers have therefore asked the Sessions Court to examine the magistrate court’s findings and challenge the acquittal orders passed in favour of Singh and Tomar.
The latest appeal marks another stage in the legal proceedings surrounding the allegations against the former WFI chief. The Sessions Court’s consideration of the appeal will determine how the challenge to the acquittal order proceeds.
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