Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi

New Delhi, Mar 4: Olympian wrestler Sushil Kumar, the primary accused in the murder of junior national wrestling champion Sagar Dhankar, was granted bail by the Delhi High Court on Tuesday. The bench, led by Justice Sanjeev Narula, ordered that Kumar be released on a bail bond of Rs 50,000 along with two sureties of equal amount.

Kumar, along with other accomplices, faces charges for allegedly assaulting Sagar Dhankar, a former junior national wrestling champion from Rohtak, Haryana, and his friends Sonu and Amit Kumar. The incident took place on May 4, 2021, in the parking lot of the Chhatrasal stadium in Delhi, reportedly over a property dispute. Kumar had been in judicial custody since June 2, 2021, though he had been granted temporary bail on two occasions: once for performing his father’s last rites and once for undergoing surgery for a torn ligament.

Dhankar, who suffered severe injuries in the assault, died from cerebral damage caused by blunt force trauma, as confirmed by the post-mortem report.

Kumar had gone into hiding after the attack, evading arrest for 18 days. During this period, he traveled across multiple states, including Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Haryana. He was eventually apprehended by the Delhi Police in the Mundka area, where he had gone to collect money and borrowed a scooter from a national-level wrestler. Following his arrest, Kumar was suspended from his position in the Railways.

In October 2022, the trial court framed charges against Kumar and 17 other individuals, setting the stage for their trial. Sushil Kumar and the other accused face various charges, including murder, rioting, and criminal conspiracy, under provisions of the Indian Penal Code. The Delhi Police's charge sheet named Kumar as the mastermind behind the murder plot.

Sushil Kumar, who won a bronze medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and a silver in the 2012 London Olympics, has now found himself at the center of a highly publicized legal battle.