Delhi HC grants bail to wrestler Sushil Kumar

Delhi High Court on Tuesday granted bail to Olympics gold-winning wrestler Sushil Kumar, the prime accused in the murder case of junior national wrestling champion Sagar Dhankar.

As per the bail order passed by a bench of Justice Sanjeev Narula, the murder-accused wrestler will be required to furnish a bail bond of Rs 50,000 and two sureties of like amount. Sushil Kumar, along with others, is accused of allegedly assaulting former junior national wrestling champion Dhankar, a resident of Haryana's Rohtak, and his two friends Sonu and Amit Kumar in the parking lot of the city's Chhatrasal stadium on 4 May 2021 over an alleged property dispute.

Dhankar succumbed to his injuries after allegedly being assaulted by Sushil and his accomplices, and according to the post-mortem report, death came from cerebral damage caused by a blunt object impact.

Sushil was arrested after staying on the run for 18 days after Dhankar's death. According to Delhi Police officials, Kumar had travelled to Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Haryana during the 18-day- cat and mouse chase.

He was finally arrested from Delhi's Mundka area when he came to collect some cash and also borrow a two-wheeler from a national-level player. Following his arrest, he was also suspended from his Railways job. In October 2022, the trial court framed charges against Sushil Kumar and 17 others, setting the stage for their trial.

Additional sessions judge Shivaji Anand oversaw the trial against Sushil and the other accused under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code, including those related to murder, rioting and criminal conspiracy. According to a charge sheet filed by Delhi Police, Sushil has been named as the kingpin of the whole murder conspiracy.

Sushil has been in judicial custody since 2 June 2021. He was earlier granted interim bail to perform the last rites of his father and undergo surgery for a torn ligament.

The wrestler won a bronze medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and a silver in the 2012 London Olympic Games.