NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court on Tuesday granted regular bail to two-time Olympic medallist wrestler Sushil Kumar in connection with the 2021 Chhatrasal Stadium brawl case, which led to the death of junior wrestler Sagar Dhankar.
Sushil, who was arrested in May 2021, was earlier granted 7 days interim bail for knee surgery in July 2023. Sushil has maintained his innocence, claiming he was falsely implicated.
The court considered the prolonged incarceration and lack of conclusive evidence linking him directly to the murder.
"There has been a long delay. He has been in jail for the last 3.5 years. All witnesses have been examined. No evidence has been presented against him so far. The court considered this as one of the grounds for bail, so he was granted bail today. 31 witnesses have been examined," Sushil's counsel Advocate RS Malik said after the bail hearing.
As per the order by Justice Sanjeev Narula, Sushil must furnish a bail bond of Rs 50,000 and two sureties of the same amount.
Sushil and others are accused of assaulting former junior national wrestling champion Dhankar and his friends over a property dispute. Dhankar succumbed to cerebral injuries from blunt force trauma.
Following the incident, Kumar evaded arrest for 18 days, traveling across multiple states before being apprehended in Delhi’s Mundka area. His arrest led to his suspension from the Railways.
In October 2022, a trial court framed charges against Sushil and 17 others, including murder, rioting, and conspiracy. The Delhi Police charge sheet identifies him as the mastermind behind the crime.
Sushil, a decorated wrestler, won bronze at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and silver at the 2012 London Games.
