Chandigarh: A local court on Monday framed charges against former Haryana sports minister Sandeep Singh in an alleged molestation case registered two years ago while dismissing his application for dropping the charges against him.
The district court framed the charges for the offences under Sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 354-A (sexual harassment), 354-B (assault or criminal force to woman with intent of disrobe), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of woman) of IPC.
While the court of additional chief judicial magistrate Rahul Garg, also rejected Singh’s plea for dropping the charges against him, it also rejected complainant’s plea to add a section for an attemped rape. The court has also not charge-sheeted the accused under Section 342 (wrongful confinement) of the IPC mentioned in the FIR.
The charges against Singh, a former Indian hockey captain stem from a police complaint dated December 26, 2022, when a junior female coach accused him of sexual harassment and other charges. She alleged that Singh had asked her to meet him at his official residence to verify her job-related documents and molested her.
The Chandigarh police had registered a case against Singh on the complaint of a junior woman coach on December 31, 2022, in which the complainant had alleged that Singh had molested her at his official residence on July 1, 2022.
Singh had claimed that he was falsely implicated in the case due to political enmity. He also held that the complaint was filed with false accusations as the woman’s demands for training and postings abroad were not met. He had resigned as sports minister after being accused and held that he took the step on moral grounds.
The next hearing in the case is scheduled for August 17. The witnesses’ statements would be recorded in the upcoming hearings.
