Outgoing Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, accused in a case of alleged sexual harassment of women wrestlers, on Wednesday told a Delhi court that hugging or touching a woman without a sexual intent is not an offence.
Mr Singh made the submissions before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Harjeet Singh Jaspal through his lawyer while opposing framing of charges against him.
The court on Wednesday started hearing arguments on point of whether to frame the charges against Mr Singh and co-accused and suspended WFI assistant secretary Vinod Tomar.
Advocate Rajiv Mohan, appearing for Mr Singh, further told the court that the allegations were time barred.
"These cosmetic grounds won't hold that I (complainant) was under threat. If you (complainants) are moving freely and for five years you did not come forward and then saying that you were under threat is not a valid explanation," he said.
The counsel added that the court had no jurisdiction to try the case since the "offences are alleged to have been committed outside India".
"If we take these allegations, Indian jurisdiction only lies in three of these allegations. The offences committed outside India cannot be tried by the court due to the lack of sanction under. Two offences are related to Ashoka Road and Siri Fort. Offence at Siri Fort is only of hugging... Touching a woman without a criminal force or sexual intent is not an offence," he said.
Mr Mohan added that "wrestling is such an event, mostly coaches are male. Female coaches are rare. If a coach, out of joy, after an achievement, is hugging a player, it can't fall under the category of offence... The event is such and if a male coach hugs a player out of anxiety is not an offence."
The court will continue to hear the matter on Thursday.
The metropolitan court had on July 20 granted bail to Mr Singh and Mr Tomar on a bond of Rs 25,000 each with certain conditions, including they shall not leave the country without the court's prior permission and not offer any inducement to witnesses.
The Delhi Police had filed a charge sheet against the six-time MP on June 15 under sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 354-A (sexual harassment), 354-D (stalking) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Featured Video Of The Day
Vinesh Phogat Arrives In Delhi After Paris Olympics Heartbreak, Security Tightened
Delhi Court Summons 2 Cops In Wrestlers' Sexual Harassment Case BJP Leader Brij Bhushan's Son Karan Wins From UP's Kaiserganj 2 Killed After Fortuner In Convoy Of Brij Bhushan Singh's Son Hits Bike Life On Earth Originates From One Ancestor, Older Than Previously Believed Cops Probing Conspiracy Angle Into Kolkata Hospital Vandalism: 5 Points Omar Abdullah On What Should Be J&K Assembly's 1st Move After Polls Centre Closely Monitoring Mpox Situation, No New Cases Reported MK Stalin Unveils Mega Industrial Housing For 18,000 Foxconn Women Workers "Effective Immediately": Elon Musk's X Closing Operations In Brazil Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.