A Delhi court on Friday refused to grant bail to Olympian Sushil Kumar in the murder case of former junior national wrestling champion Sagar Dhankhar, saying the possibility of witness tampering by the prosecution “cannot be ruled out”.
Next Sessions Judge Sushil Kumar while hearing the bail application noted that several key witnesses in the case are yet to be examined. “It is important to mention that many other material witnesses are yet to be examined and the possibility of influencing such material witnesses by the complainant/accused Sushil Kumar cannot be ruled out,” the court said in its order.
Underscoring the seriousness of the charges leveled against the wrestler, the judge also took note of the fact that Kumar’s bail plea had been rejected by the Supreme Court last year. “In view of the fact that the Supreme Court quashed the applicant’s bail application vide order dated August 13, 2025, this court is not inclined to grant the bail application filed by the applicant. The same is therefore dismissed,” the court said.
The court further noted that while the apex court had earlier denied bail, it had made several observations, including the possible social impact of Kumar’s release.
During the hearing, Kumar’s counsel argued that the Olympian has been in judicial custody for almost four years and that the trial is likely to take a long time to conclude. The defense argued that no evidence had emerged to prove that Kumar had kidnapped anyone and argued that most of the prosecution’s witnesses examined so far had turned hostile. For these reasons, the lawyer sought bail for Kumar.
Advocate Joshini Tuli, appearing for Dhankhar’s father, opposed the plea, arguing that Kumar was the main conspirator in the case, which involves a total of 20 accused. She alleged that Kumar, a celebrated wrestler with political connections, wields considerable influence and could abuse his position to influence the trial.
“He has been named as the mastermind of the case. Most of the witnesses have already turned hostile and the rest are scheduled for questioning in the coming days. If he comes out of jail, he could influence them,” Tuli told the court.
Kumar and the co-accused allegedly fatally assaulted Dhankhar and his friends at the Chhatrasal Stadium in May 2021 following an alleged property dispute. According to the postmortem report, Dhankhar suffered brain damage due to impact with a blunt object. Two of his friends were also injured in the incident.
Kumar was arrested in May 2021. In July 2023, a sessions court granted him a week’s interim bail to undergo knee surgery. In October 2022, a court charged him under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including murder, criminal conspiracy, intimidation and rioting with a deadly weapon, along with provisions of the Arms Act.
The court had earlier observed that Dhankhar was allegedly kidnapped, brought to the stadium and then brutally assaulted by several accused while playing baseball.
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Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
February 6, 2026
