On August 3, 2026, a Delhi trial court acquitted Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the former Wrestling Federation of India president, of charges under Sections 354, 354A, and 506(I) of the Indian Penal Code in the sexual harassment case brought by six women wrestlers. Vinod Tomar, the WFI’s former assistant secretary, was acquitted of the remaining charge against him. The court held that the prosecution had failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.
That conclusion is not, by itself, unusual. Criminal courts are required to acquit where the prosecution evidence leaves a reasonable doubt. What deserves closer examination is the route this particular judgment took to get there.
