1. What does the POCSO closure report mean?

| Jun 15, 2023, 23:07 IST

What

Delhi Police on Thursday charged BJP lawmaker and WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh with sexual harassment and stalking six women wrestlers but recommended dropping of charges against him under the POCSO Act.

Why

The police recommended the cancellation of the complaint filed by a minor wrestler against Singh, citing “no corroborative evidence”.
A report was submitted to a Delhi court based upon statements of the father of the minor, and the girl herself, according to Delhi Police PRO Suman Nalwa.

The law

The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act entails a minimum imprisonment of three years, depending on what section the crime falls in.

Now, what?

However, the court is yet to take a call on whether to accept the police's closure report or direct further investigation. It put the cancellation report for consideration on July 4.

The chargesheet

In the other case filed on the complaint of women wrestlers, a chargesheet was filed under sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 354A (sexual harassment), 354D (stalking) and 506 (criminal intimidation), Special Public Prosecutor Atul Srivastava said.
The chargesheet has also named Vinod Tomar, a suspended assistant secretary of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), for the offences under sections 109 (punishment for abetment), 354, 354A and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC.

Will he face arrest?

The protesting wrestlers have been demanding Singh’s arrest. However, citing the Supreme Court's guidelines in the Satendra Antil case, legal experts said the accused may not be taken into custody given the maximum sentence in the current case is up to five years and he was not arrested when the chargesheet was filed.

Cong ups ante

The Congress reacted strongly to the police’s recommendation for cancellation of the complaint, saying the cry for justice of India's daughters has been “consigned to the dustbin and buried” by the government.
The BJP's new slogan is "Beti Darao, Brij Bhushan Bachao", Congress general secretary Randeep Surjewala said.

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