Chhatrasal Stadium murder case: Court frames charges against wrestler Sushil Kumar

A Delhi court Wednesday framed charges against Olympic medallist wrestler Sushil Kumar and 17 others in the Chhatrasal Stadium murder case, setting the stage for their trial.

Additional Sessions Judge Shivaji Anand framed charges against Kumar and other accused under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code, including those related to murder, rioting and criminal conspiracy.

Kumar along with others is accused of allegedly assaulting former junior national wrestling champion Sagar Dhankhad and his friends in the parking lot of the city's Chhatrasal Stadium on May 4, 2021 over an alleged property dispute.

Dhankhad later succumbed to injuries. Kumar was arrested a few days later on May 23 and has been lodged in judicial custody since June 2, 2021.

"...charges are to be framed against the accused persons namely Sushil Kumar, Prince, Ajay Kumar, Mohit, Manjeet, Gulab, Bhupender, Rohit Malik, Bijender, Anirudh Dahiya, Subhash, Gaurav Loura, Surjeet Grewal, Anil Dhiman, Praveen Dabas, Praveen, Rahul and Parveen Dabas under Section 302 (Murder) of the IPC read with Section 34 (Common intention) for causing the murder of Sagar Dhankhad,” Additional Sessions Judge Shivaji Anand said.

The judge further said that the charge under Section 307 (Attempt to murder) of the IPC was also to be made against the accused persons for causing injuries to Jai Bhagwan.

For causing injuries to other victims, the accused persons were also to be charged with Section 323 (Punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) of the IPC, the court said.

There was also a strong case for framing charges against the accused persons under Sections 109 (abetment of offence), 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 142 (unlawful assembly) 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon) and 149 (Every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object) of the IPC, the court said.

The court also charged Kumar with the offences of kidnapping, voluntarily causing hurt in committing robbery, wrongful restraint, robbery, robbery or dacoity with attempt to cause death or grievous hurt and criminal intimidation.

The court said that the facts and circumstances in the present case clearly reflected that all the accused persons had conspired to cause abduction and assaulted the victims resulting in the death of Sagar Dhankhad.

The court noted that the main gate of the Chhatrasal Stadium had been locked, many of the accused persons possessed weapons, and the assault continued for around 30-40 minutes.

According to the prosecution, after abducting Sagar and his friends, Sushil Kumar and his associates brutally assaulted them.

The Delhi Police Crime Branch had filed a charge sheet against the 18 accused in the case under the relevant provisions of the IPC and the Arms Act.

Two accused persons -- Joginder and Ankit Dabas -- have been declared proclaimed offenders and a supplementary charge sheet will be filed against them after their arrest, the prosecution said.

The court has summoned the accused for procedurally framing the charges on October 15.