Delhi HC grants relief to two-time olympic medalist Sushil Kumar in murder case

Delhi High Court grants bail to wrestler Sushil Kumar in Sagar Dhankar murder case, setting a Rs 50,000 bond condition.

Delhi High Court has given some relief for to famous wrestler Sushil Kumar after granting him bail. The Olympic silver medalist wrestler is having a court case going on in connection with the Sagar Dhankar murder case. Sushil Kumar is the primary suspect in the murder of junior national wrestling champion Sagar Dhankar. Justice Sanjeev Narula’s bench approved the bail on Tuesday. As part of the bail conditions, Kumar must provide a bail bond of Rs 50,000 along with two sureties of the same amount.

Murder case on Sushil Kumar

The incident in question took place on May 4, 2021, when Kumar, along with several others, allegedly attacked Sagar Dhankar and his friends, Sonu and Amit Kumar, in the parking area of Delhi’s Chhatrasal Stadium. This alleged assault was reportedly due to a property dispute. After Dhankar’s death, Sushil Kumar evaded arrest for 18 days before being apprehended in Delhi’s Mundka area. The Delhi Police’s chargesheet, which stretches over 170 pages, names Sushil Kumar as the main accused. Reports from the post-mortem indicate that Dhankar’s death was due to cerebral damage from blunt object impact.

Sushil Kumar in custody

Since June 2, 2021, Kumar has been in judicial custody, facing charges of murder, rioting, and criminal conspiracy after the tragic demise of Dhankar. Earlier, he was granted interim bail to conduct the last rites of his father and for a knee surgery. Notably, in March 2023, the Rohini Court allowed him four days of bail for his father’s last rites, and later in July, he had knee surgery.

Sushil Kumar is a celebrated athlete in India. He had previously won a bronze medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and a silver medal in the 2012 London Olympics, becoming the first ever Indian wrestler to get two Olympic medals.