The Supreme Court has set aside the Delhi High Court order granting bail to Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar in connection with the 2021 murder of former junior national wrestling champion Sagar Dhankar in Delhi, directing Kumar to surrender before the court within a week.
The order, delivered by a bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and P. K. Mishra, came in response to an appeal filed by Sagar Dhankar’s father, Ashok Dhankar, challenging the Delhi HC’s order dated 4 March 2025.
While overturning the bail order, the apex court observed that the High Court had “erroneously” released the accused. The bench stated: “While considerations such as the period of custody and testimonies of key prosecution witnesses having been recorded are relevant, the court erred by inter alia, not considering the grievous nature of the crime, the possibility of influencing the trial by the accused and the conduct of the accused during investigation.”
According to the prosecution, on the night of 4–5 May 2021, Kumar and his associates allegedly abducted Dhankar and several others, took them to Chhatrasal Stadium, and assaulted them with wooden lathis and sticks, while also allegedly firing gunshots. Dhankar later died of his injuries. The post-mortem cited the cause of death as “cerebral damage as a result of blunt force/object impact. All injuries are ante-mortem in nature”.
In October 2022, a sessions court framed murder charges against Kumar and 17 others. The Supreme Court noted that Kumar had absconded following the registration of the FIR, evaded arrest, and was declared a wanted fugitive, with non-bailable warrants issued against him and a police reward announced on 18 May 2021 for information leading to his arrest.
The bench remarked that these facts had been placed before the High Court but “did not form part of the consideration of the order releasing him on bail”. It further emphasised: “must also be cognizant of the seriousness of the allegations against the accused. As per the allegations in the FIR, the national capital was made into a criminal playground to settle scores, with no regard for the law of the land. The accused persons allegedly abducted certain individuals; violently attacked them with dangerous weapons; and caused grievous injuries. The injuries were of such nature that they resulted in the unfortunate death of the complainant’s son”.
The court also highlighted that weapons stained with blood were recovered from the crime scene, and a loaded firearm was found in the vehicle of the accused. Moreover, video recordings of the incident were allegedly retrieved from a co-accused’s phone. “While the veracity of the above evidence is a matter of trial, there can be no doubt that these allegations are shocking and serious in nature”.
Setting aside the High Court’s order, the Supreme Court clarified that Kumar may reapply for bail at a later stage if there is a change in circumstances, which would then be considered on its own merits.
