Delhi HC refuses bail to wrestler Sushil Kumar in Chhatrasal Stadium murder case

The Delhi High Court denied bail to renowned wrestler Sushil Kumar in connection with the murder case of former junior national wrestling champion Sagar Dhankar. Dhankar was killed in a violent clash involving two groups at Chhatrasal Stadium on May 4, 2021. Sushil's name emerged when a video surfaced, allegedly featuring him during the incident.

He was apprehended after a lookout notice was issued for him, as he had gone into hiding. In May 2021, a sessions court granted him a week's interim bail to undergo knee surgery on July 19, 2023. On August 6, 2023, Justice Purushaindra Kumar rejected Sushil's bail plea, citing concerns about potential witness tampering raised by the Supreme Court, prior conduct, the seriousness of the offense, and his ability to impact the trial's outcome.

The judge emphasized that even though bail is typically the norm, the offense was a premeditated and fatal assault, supported by forensic evidence like a recovered firearm and video footage. The accused's attorney argued that the deceased's father, whose complaint led to the earlier bail cancellation, had not backed the prosecution's case during the trial.

However, the court deemed this as a matter of evidence appreciation to be decided at the trial stage, not a sufficient change in circumstances to grant bail. The court noted that the Supreme Court's cancellation of bail was based on Sushil's significant societal influence and witnesses becoming hostile upon his temporary releases.

Therefore, the court didn't find any genuine change in circumstances or independent grounds to grant regular bail to Sushil Kumar.