Wrestler murder case: Sushil pleads innocence, police oppose anticipatory bail

The Delhi Police on Tuesday opposed the anticipatory bail plea of Sushil Kumar, India's double Olympic medallist in wrestling, in the district court in Rohini.

Kumar is facing allegations of involvement in murder of a former international  wrestler, who died earlier this month.

Kumar in his plea filed by advocate Kumar Vaibhaw said: "unfounded, baseless, scurrilous and preposterous allegations have been made against the applicant maliciously with the only motive to humiliate and injure the reputation of  the applicant."

Citing the falsity in allegations, Kumar's plea said that as per the PCR call the incident took place at around 1.19 hours on May 5, 2021 and the distance from the place of incident, Chhatarsal Stadium, and the police station  PS Model Town is just one kilometre. However, the FIR has been registered after an unexplained delay of around 5-6 hours. "It further appears that that the entire delay in registration of the FIR is to falsely implicate the Applicant in the present matter",  the plea added.

Police have also announced a cash award of Rs.50,000 for anyone who provides information on Sushil's associate Ajay Kumar, who is a co-accused in the murder of Sagar Dhankar, a former international wrestler. On May 4, two groups  of wrestlers clashed at Chhattarsal Stadium, resulting in the death of 23-year-old Dhankar.

Senior advocate Siddharth Luthra, representing Kumar, questioned before the court the act of prosecution seizing Kumar's passport. 

Additional public prosecutor Atul Shrivastava replied, "We have an apprehension that he may flee  from the country." Shrivastava added that there is electronic evidence against Kumar.

In the anticipatory bail plea, Kumar said: "The victims are falsely implicating the applicant because he had asked Sagar to leave his property as the same was being misused by him. It is also known to every associated with the  Chhatrashal stadium that the purported victims were trying to defame and fix the Applicant for a long time and are trying to falsely implicate the applicant in the present matter."

Kumar claimed he is innocent of all wrongdoings and has been falsely implicated in the present case. "The alleged victims in the present matter have criminal antecedents and as the Applicant had asked them to vacate a property  belonging to his wife, which they were trying to illegally occupy (after the Applicant made the request, and the property was vacated), they are trying to falsely implicate the Applicant/ Accused", added his plea.

The trial court will pronounce the order on Kumar's anticipatory bail plea at 4PM today.