NEW DELHI, Feb 20: The Delhi High Court on Friday asked the Delhi Police to respond to a bail plea filed by Olympian Sushil Kumar in connection with the murder of former junior national wrestling champion Sagar Dhankar.
Justice Anup J Bhambhani issued notices to the Delhi Police and the family of the deceased, directing them to submit a status report and a reply, respectively.
During the hearing, the judge observed that the Supreme Court of India had previously cancelled the bail granted to Kumar by the high court in August last year. “I think you are being ambitious. Once the Supreme Court has taken a view, what do you expect from me?” the court remarked.
Counsel for Kumar argued that the bail plea deserved consideration as all public witnesses in the trial had already been examined. However, the counsel representing the Delhi Police and Dhankar’s family contested this claim, stating that the examination of public witnesses was still incomplete.
The court directed that a detailed status report and reply be filed before the next hearing and listed the matter for May 4.
Kumar was arrested in May 2021. In July 2023, a sessions court granted him a week’s interim bail for knee surgery. Subsequently, on August 13, 2025, the Supreme Court set aside a March 4 high court order granting him bail, observing that the possibility of his “domineering influence” over witnesses or attempts to delay the trial could not be ruled out.
Earlier this month, on February 6, a trial court also rejected Kumar’s bail plea, citing concerns that he might influence witnesses.
In October 2022, the trial court framed charges against Kumar under sections of the Indian Penal Code related to murder, criminal conspiracy, intimidation and rioting with a deadly weapon. Charges under the Arms Act were also invoked.
The court had noted that Dhankar was allegedly abducted and brought to Chhatrasal Stadium, where he was brutally assaulted by multiple accused using baseball and hockey sticks. (Agency)
