A court in New Delhi cleared Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh on 3 August 2026 of sexual harassment charges brought by five women wrestlers. Singh used to be the head of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), the body that governs the sport in the country. The wrestlers had accused him of touching them inappropriately and demanding sexual favours during his time as WFI president. The judge, Ashwini Panwar of the Rouse Avenue Court, said the prosecution had not proved the charges. Singh's aide, Vinod Tomar, was also cleared. (Firstpost, The Hindu)

Being acquitted means the court found the defendant not guilty. The judge based the decision on inconsistencies, meaning the witnesses' statements did not fully agree with each other, and on contradictions, meaning key points conflicted. Singh, who is 69, is a former member of parliament from India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He was formally charged in 2024 and had denied the allegations all along. (Al Jazeera)

The case began when five women wrestlers said Singh had groped them and demanded sexual favours while he led the WFI. The formal charges in 2024 came after months of pressure from India's wrestling community.

The accusations set off weeks of protests in 2023. Well-known female wrestlers like Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik led the demonstrations, calling for Singh to be removed as WFI head. The protests drew attention from around the world to how women athletes are treated in Indian sport. In December 2023, the fallout grew: Olympic wrestler Bajrang Punia gave back one of India's highest civilian awards to protest Singh's WFI appointment, and Sakshi Malik said she was quitting the sport for the same reason. (Al Jazeera)

The wrestlers say they will not accept the verdict as the end of the matter. They have told their lawyer to appeal, which means asking a higher court to review the decision. Vinesh Phogat said the appeal process would start as soon as possible. (Al Jazeera)

The acquittal closes the first round of a legal fight that has shaken Indian wrestling for nearly three years, but the planned appeal means the case is not over. The higher court will look at whether the trial judge was right to focus on the inconsistencies in witness testimony. It can review the evidence and the judge's interpretation of it.

The broader context here is about how sports, politics, and athlete activism overlap in India. Singh was both a BJP parliamentarian and the WFI president, which gave him power in both politics and sport. The protesting wrestlers said their fight was not just about personal grievances but about how Indian sport is run. The acquittal, which came because the prosecution did not meet the standard of proof required, raises questions about the gap between public protest and courtroom results when powerful people are involved. The wrestlers' decision to appeal means their campaign, which already pushed Singh out of the WFI, will continue through the courts rather than through street protests.

For the wrestling community, the verdict comes after a period of major disruption. Medal-winning athletes retired, returned honours, and protested publicly. The WFI also saw leadership changes. The appeal will determine whether the trial court's view of the evidence holds up under review or whether a higher court overturns the acquittal. Until then, the case that captured Indian sport moves into its next legal phase.