Delhi High Court Rejects Sushil Kumar’s Bail Plea Again
What Happened
The Delhi High Court refused regular bail to Olympian Sushil Kumar in the Chhatrasal Stadium murder case, saying he had not shown a genuine change in circumstances since the Supreme Court cancelled his earlier bail. The court pointed to the seriousness of the alleged assault, the risk of influencing witnesses and the evidence still to be tested at trial.
Legal Impact
Justice Purushaindra Kumar said the usual principle that bail is the rule and jail the exception did not help Kumar here because the court saw the alleged crime as a premeditated and gruesome assault resulting in death. It also relied on the Supreme Court’s earlier concern that Kumar’s influence could affect witnesses and the trial, which made the judge unwilling to treat the father’s testimony as a sufficient new development.
Limits
Kumar’s side argued that he has been in custody for more than five years and that only formal and official witnesses remain to be examined, which it said justified regular bail.
Delhi Police and Sagar Dhankar’s father opposed the plea, and the court said the claim that the father’s testimony weakened the prosecution was disputed and had to be tested at trial.