BJP MP and former EFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh at the Rouse Avenue court on Tuesday. 

Underlining there was “unity of purpose… unity of thought” behind his actions to “sexually exploit vulnerable female subordinates as much as possible”, a Delhi court Tuesday ordered framing of charges against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, sitting BJP MP and former chief of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), in the sexual harassment case against him filed on the complaint of women wrestlers.

Singh, on his part, pleaded not guilty to the charges in the case registered by the Delhi Police.

Asked by Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Priyanka Rajpoot if he was pleading guilty, Singh said, “Koi sawaal hi nahi hai. Galati kiye hi nahi to maanenge kyun (There is no question. When I did not make a mistake, why will I admit to it).”

ACMM Rajpoot, while ordering framing of charges, said this of Singh: “(His) continuing position in the WFI, coupled with the victims’ perception of a continuing threat, shows the acts of accused no. 1 (Singh) was not isolated but part of a broader pattern of behaviour whereby he exploited his position of power over an extended period. These alleged acts, committed in Delhi and outside Delhi/India, were executed under a ‘single criminal enterprise’ or ‘single impulse’ to sexually exploit and harass female wrestlers by abusing his dominant position

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Observing that there was “unity of purpose” or “unity of thought” behind Singh’s actions, the ACMM pointed to the hierarchy in the workforce — the accused was in power, and the women wrestlers were his subordinates.

“Even during wrestling events, they (the women wrestlers) used to avoid going out independently… Thus, it reflects their fear and persistent threat posed by the presence of the accused.”
 Whether or not the offences allegedly committed by Singh were continuous was one of the main points to be decided by the court. Advocate Rajiv Mohan, who represented Singh, had pointed out that the alleged offences were not continuous in nature, that they were separate.

Noting that the alleged offences reflected a “systematic and recurring pattern”, the ACMM noted that they collectively formed a continuing offence and were not isolated incidents.

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The court also noted that the nature of the sexual misconduct was “strikingly similar”  and involved “exploiting professional settings or events”