NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday granted regular bail to Olympic medalist wrestler Sushil Kumar in the Sagar Dhankar murder case after spending over three and a half years in custody.
Justice Sanjeev Narula approved the bail on a bond of Rs 50,000 with two sureties of the same amount.
Sushil Kumar, along with other accused, is facing trial for the murder of junior wrestler Sagar Dhankar, who was allegedly beaten at the Chhatrasal Stadium on May 4, 2021. Dhankar later succumbed to his injuries.
Kumar’s legal representatives, advocates R S Malik and Sumeet Shokeen, argued that their client has been in custody for more than three and a half years. They also pointed out that only 30 out of 186 prosecution witnesses have been examined in the last three years.
The court’s detailed order is yet to be uploaded. Previously, Kumar was granted a seven-day interim bail in July 2023 for knee surgery.
Sushil Kumar has had a distinguished athletic career, winning a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and a silver medal at the 2012 London Olympics, making him one of India’s most successful athletes.
The case involves multiple victims who were allegedly assaulted at the stadium that night, with Dhankar’s death being the primary focus of the investigation.