NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court has denied bail to Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar in wrestler Sagar Dhankar’s murder case, terming the offence a “premeditated and gruesome assault”.
Justice Purushaindra Kumar dismissed Kumar’s bail plea on August 6, citing concerns over influencing witnesses raised by the Supreme Court when it cancelled his earlier bail, his conduct before arrest, the gravity of the offence and his capacity to influence the ongoing trial.
The judge observed that while bail is ordinarily the rule and jail the exception, the present offence was a “premeditated and gruesome assault resulting in death”, corroborated by the recovery of a firearm, video evidence and other material yet to be tested at trial.
Kumar’s counsel argued that the deceased’s father, whose complaint led to the earlier cancellation of bail, had not supported the prosecution’s case during the trial. It was also contended that Kumar had been in custody for over five years and only formal and official witnesses remained to be examined. Delhi Police and Dhankar’s father opposed the bail plea. The court said the characterisation of Dhankar’s father’s testimony as unsupportive was disputed.
It noted that the Supreme Court had found Kumar had considerable societal standing and influence, with witnesses turning hostile whenever he was granted temporary liberty. The court said whether the father’s testimony supported the prosecution was a matter for the trial court to assess and could not be treated as a change in circumstances.
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