Serious charges, risk to witnesses: Delhi court denies bail to Olympian Sushil Kumar

New Delhi: A Delhi court on Friday dismissed Olympian wrestler Sushil Kumar's bail plea in the 2021 murder case of junior national wrestling champion Sagar Dhankar, citing the "seriousness of the allegations" against him and noting that the Supreme Court had cancelled his bail plea last year. Additional sessions judge Sushil Kumar observed that the charges against the accused were grave and that "many other material witnesses are yet to be examined and possibility of influencing of such material witnesses by accused cannot be ruled out."
The court relied on the testimony of prosecution witness Jai Bhagwan, who had identified the accused and narrated the incident "frame by frame". Although he later turned hostile during cross-examination, the judge held that the "facts deposed by him could not be overlooked". The court also considered video footage of the incident, which purportedly shows the accused assaulting the injured persons with deadly weapons. Kumar's counsel argued that he has been in judicial custody since May 2021, has been falsely implicated, and is a "wrestler of international repute with impeccable credentials," including being an Olympic silver medallist. The defence maintained he had cooperated with the investigation, was not a flight risk, and that no "fruitful purpose" would be served by extending his custody, especially as the trial — with 222 witnesses — was likely to take several years. The prosecution, led by advocate Joshini Tuli, opposed the plea, stressing the "serious nature" of the allegations and arguing that Kumar had earlier "misused his liberty" by influencing a witness who later turned hostile. Dhankar was assaulted with baseball and hockey sticks at Chhatrasal Stadium in 2021, allegedly over a property dispute. Kumar and several others are accused of attacking Dhankar and his two friends, Sonu and Amit Kumar. Kumar was arrested in 2021 and has remained in custody since, except for a brief period in July 2023 when he was granted interim bail for knee surgery. In Oct 2022, the trial court framed charges under sections relating to murder, criminal conspiracy, criminal intimidation, rioting with deadly weapons and offences under the Arms Act. In March last year, Delhi High Court granted regular bail to Kumar. However, the order was later set aside by the Supreme Court.