On Thursday, a Delhi court granted wrestler Bajrang Punia an exemption from personal appearance for the day in a criminal defamation complaint filed against him by wrestling coach Naresh Dahiya.
Metropolitan Magistrate Yashdeep Chahal granted Punia the exemption after his lawyer informed the court that he had gone to Kyrgyzstan for practice sessions and the upcoming Asian Games.
The judge had previously granted him exemption from personal appearance on September 6 due to medical reasons, as his counsel stated that he was suffering from a fever.
On August 3, the judge had directed Punia to appear before the court on September 6, expressing a “prima facie” view that all elements of defamation were established against the wrestler.
Dahiya alleges that Punia, along with other wrestlers and individuals, made defamatory remarks against him during a press conference at Jantar Mantar on May 10, as they protested against alleged sexual harassment of female wrestlers by the outgoing Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. (With inputs from PTI)
