The Supreme Court on Tuesday called the sexual harassment allegations against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) President and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh "serious" and issued notice to the Delhi Police in the matter.
A bench, headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud and comprising Justice P.S. Narasimha, said: "There are serious allegation in plea on behest of international wrestlers with regards to sexual harassment meted out to them. Issue notice returnable on Friday. Liberty to serve standing counsel NCT Delhi. The complaints which form an attachment in sealed cover and shall be again resealed."
The plea was mentioned before the bench by senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Narendra Hooda, representing the wrestlers.
Sibal submitted that this is the wrestlers' matter and they are sitting in dharna, and seven women have complained and one is a minor.
He said the wrestlers have been sitting on a protest, but "the police are not acting... look at the allegations. ...Even police personnel can be prosecuted for not registering an FIR".
Citing that matter involved sexual harassment, Sibal stressed that police were bound to register a case.
The top court directed redaction of the identities of the petitioners from their petition and said that the redacted copy of the plea should be made available in the public domain.
The plea -- filed by three women wrestlers, and four complainants supporting the petition -- said they attempted several times to convince Delhi Police to register an FIR, but they failed.
The plea said women athletes who make the nation proud are facing sexual harassment, and instead of getting the support they deserve, they are being forced to run from pillar to post to get justice.
It said the accused person in this case is an influential person and is misusing the process of law to evade justice and further manipulating the legal system and obstructing justice.
The plea said that "it is crucial that the police take all complaints of sexual harassment seriously and register FIRs promptly and not create yet another obstacle by delaying the registration of FIR".
"Failure to do so not only undermine the credibility of the police department but also emboldens perpetrators of sexual harassment, making it more difficult for women to come forward and report such incidents."
The plea contended that despite filing complaints which ex-facie disclose the commission of a cognizable offence, the Delhi Police in complete disregard of the law laid down by the constitutional bench of the apex court has failed to register FIRs against the persons accused therein.
"Inspite of the lapse of three days i.e., from April 21-24, no conclusive action has been taken by the Delhi Police. This clearly depicts a sad state of affairs and a clear violation of human rights. It is the responsibility of the police to ensure the safety of all citizens especially of those who are most vulnerable, however, having miserably failed to discharge their duties, the very institution that is meant to safeguard them," said the plea.
Crew on seized cargo ship to be released soon, assures Iran Foreign Minister
The 16 remaining Indian crew members on board a cargo ship seized by Iran are set to be released soon, Iran Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian assured his Portuguese counterpart Paulo Rangel in a telephonic conversation on Saturday.
1,500 Sikhs join BJP ahead of Lok Sabha polls in Delhi, Punjab
In a significant development, 1,500 members from the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, along with Singh Sabha and other Sikh organisations, joined BJP on Saturday, just weeks ahead of Lok Sabha elections in Delhi and Punjab.
TMC writes to ECI complaining about CBI, NSG ops at Sandeshkhali during second phase of polls
The Trinamool Congress on Saturday wrote to the Election Commission of India (ECI) opposing the CBI and National Security Guard (NSG) raids at Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas District on Friday and expressed apprehensions that the central agencies might have 'planted' weapons at the search site to 'defame it' when the second phase of Lok Sabha polls were underway.
2 CRPF personnel killed in attack by armed group in Manipur
Two Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel, including a Sub Inspector, were killed and two others have been injured after armed groups attacked a camp of security forces in Manipur’s Bishnupur district early on Saturday, police said.
Land subsidence leaves 350 people homeless in J&K’s Ramban District
Over 350 people in Jammu and Kashmir’s (J&K’s) Ramban District abandoned their homes on Saturday after destruction of the houses due to land subsidence.
Houthi leader vows to continue maritime attacks, calls Indian Ocean 'new theatre of confrontation'
Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the leader of Yemen's Houthi group, has vowed to continue its naval operations in the Red Sea, rejecting media reports suggesting a decrease in Houthi maritime attacks, the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported.
Second phase of Lok Sabha polls sees enthusiastic voter turnout from Jammu to Kerala, Maharashtra to Tripura
The BJP, holding a significant number of seats in this phase, considers these elections crucial for maintaining and expanding its influence to secure a substantial majority in the Lok Sabha.
EC suspends 26 Tripura govt staff for taking part in political events, violation of poll code
The Election Commission (EC) has so far suspended 26 Tripura government employees, including security personnel, for participating in political events, election campaigns, and violating the Model Code of Conduct (MCC),