High Court revokes bail granted to wrestler Sushil Kumar in the Chhatrasal Stadium murder case; instructs him to surrender within a week
In a significant turn of events, the Supreme Court of India has cancelled the bail of Olympic wrestler Sushil Kumar, who is the prime accused in the 2021 murder of former junior national wrestling champion Sagar Dhankar. The court set aside the Delhi High Court’s March 4, 2025 bail order and directed Sushil Kumar to surrender within a week [1][2][3][4][5].
This order follows a plea by Sagar Dhankar’s father, Ashok Dhankar, challenging the bail granted to Kumar. The wrestler and others are accused of abducting Dhankar and his friends from the Chhatrasal Stadium, brutally assaulting them with sticks and hockey sticks, which resulted in Dhankar's death due to cerebral damage caused by blunt force trauma in May 2021. Two of Dhankar’s friends were also seriously injured in the attack. Sushil Kumar has been in judicial custody since May 2021, and charges including murder, attempt to murder, rioting, kidnapping, and criminal conspiracy were framed against him and 17 others in October 2022 [1][2][3][5].
The Supreme Court’s action to revoke bail was influenced by allegations that Sushil Kumar attempted to intimidate witnesses during the trial and an earlier interim bail period, prompting concerns about the conduct of the accused [3]. Many public witnesses have turned hostile before the trial court due to Sushil Kumar tampering with them.
It is important to note that Sushil Kumar was previously granted interim bail for a knee surgery in July 2023. However, the appeal was allowed because Sushil Kumar had tampered with witnesses whenever he was granted interim bail.
Sushil Kumar, a former Olympic medallist, had won a bronze medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and a silver in the 2012 London Olympics. However, his name has been tainted by the tragic events that unfolded at the Chhatrasal Stadium in May 2021.
After being on the run for two weeks after Dhankar’s death, Sushil Kumar was arrested in Delhi's Mundka area. He travelled to Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Haryana for 18 days before his arrest.
The trial in the case is ongoing following Kumar’s surrender. The Supreme Court has asked Sushil Kumar to surrender himself within a week, setting aside the bail granted to him due to it being an erroneous order. The High Court's order was also set aside in an appeal by the victims' father, Ashok Dhankar.
[1] https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/supreme-court-cancels-bail-of-olympic-wrestler-sushil-kumar-in-sagar-dhankar-murder-case-3226319 [2] https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/supreme-court-cancels-bail-of-olympic-wrestler-sushil-kumar-in-sagar-dhankar-murder-case/article65895877.ece [3] https://www.outlookindia.com/newsscroll/supreme-court-cancels-bail-of-olympic-wrestler-sushil-kumar-in-sagar-dhankar-murder-case/1978335 [4] https://www.indiatoday.in/sports/wrestling/story/supreme-court-cancels-bail-of-olympic-wrestler-sushil-kumar-in-sagar-dhankar-murder-case-1888841-2023-08-12 [5] https://www.thequint.com/news/india/supreme-court-cancels-bail-of-olympic-wrestler-sushil-kumar-in-sagar-dhankar-murder-case-says-it-was-erroneous-order
- The Supreme Court's decision to revoke Sushil Kumar's bail in the General-News category, involving the murder of former junior national wrestling champion Sagar Dhankar, was influenced by allegations of Kumar's attempts to intimidate witnesses during the trial.
- In the realm of Crime-and-Justice, the ongoing trial of Sushil Kumar, the prime accused in the murder of Sagar Dhankar, includes charges of sports-related offenses due to Kumar's alleged assault on Dhankar and his friends during a dispute at the Chhatrasal Stadium, which resulted in Dhankar's death and injuries to two of his friends.
