New Delhi, Aug 13 (UNI) The Supreme Court on Wednesday set aside the Delhi High Court’s March 4 order granting bail to Olympic medallist wrestler Sushil Kumar, the prime accused in the 2021 murder of junior national champion Sagar Dhankar.
A bench comprising Justices Sanjay Karol and Prashant Kumar Mishra allowed the plea filed by the victim’s father, Ashok Dhankad, challenging the High Court’s decision, and directed Kumar to surrender within one week.
Senior advocate Siddharth Mridul appeared for the petitioner, while senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani represented Kumar.
Kumar, along with several others, is accused of brutally assaulting Dhankar and his friends Sonu and Amit Kumar in the parking lot of Delhi’s Chhatrasal Stadium on May 4, 2021, allegedly over a property dispute.
Dhankar, 23, died from cerebral injury caused by blunt force trauma, while the others sustained serious injuries.
The incident led to a high-profile manhunt for Kumar, who evaded arrest for 18 days before being apprehended by Delhi Police in Mundka on May 23, 2021.
Following his arrest, Kumar was suspended from his Railways job and remained in judicial custody until the High Court granted him bail earlier this year.
The Supreme Court, however, found merit in the victim’s family’s argument that the trial was ongoing in a serious offence involving murder and set aside the bail.
The High Court had earlier noted that Kumar had spent over three and a half years in custody, granting bail on a bond of ₹50,000 with two sureties of the same amount.
Advocates for Kumar had also pointed to the slow pace of the trial, with only 30 out of 186 witnesses examined over three years.
In July 2023, Kumar was granted a week-long interim bail on medical grounds for surgery on a torn ligament near his right knee.
Earlier, in October 2022, the Rohini District Court framed charges against Kumar and 17 others under IPC Section 302 (murder) and related offences, including rioting, criminal conspiracy, and attempted murder, in connection with the killing and injuries caused during the Chhatrasal Stadium incident.
With Wednesday’s order, Kumar will have to return to custody while the trial continues.
