Chandigarh
A Chandigarh court has granted anticipatory bail to Haryana minister Sandeep Singh, who was charged last month with sexually harassing a woman junior coach. Additional District and Sessions Judge Rajeev K. Beri allowed the anticipatory bail plea and scheduled a hearing for Saturday. Sandeep Singh filed the anticipatory bail application on September 4, anticipating his arrest by Chandigarh Police on the day of the hearing. In his petition, he expressed concerns that he would be sent to judicial custody if he appeared before the trial court on September 16, as the offense is cognizable and non-bailable. The complainant’s counsels, Sameer Sethi and Deepanshu Bansal, opposed the anticipatory bail plea, alleging that Sandeep Singh, as a minister, was using government machinery to pressure the victim and that he would influence the trial if granted relief. According to a 700-page charge sheet filed by Chandigarh Police, Sandeep Singh, a former Indian hockey team captain and a first-time legislator, had a relationship with the woman beyond professional interaction. The charge sheet, based on statements from 45 witnesses, noted that the minister could not explain why he met the complainant beyond official work hours, including late hours. In her first information report (FIR), the woman coach claimed that Sandeep Singh, then the Sports Minister, called her in July 2022 and attempted to force himself on her. The charge sheet revealed that the victim was able to identify various rooms in the minister’s official residence, suggesting that she had visited these rooms. The case involves charges under Sections 354, 354-A, 354-B, 342, and 506 of the Indian Penal Code, including assault or criminal force to a woman with intent to outrage her modesty, sexual harassment, assault with intent to disrobe, wrongful confinement, and criminal intimidation.
