Court extends Sushil Kumar's police custody by 4 days, says no one above law
New Delhi, May 29: A Delhi court Saturday extended by four days the police custody of Olympic wrestling medallist Sushil Kumar and Ajay Kumar Sehrawat, arrested in connection with the murder of a 23-year-old grappler, saying that no one is above the law.
Sushil Kumar and his associates allegedly assaulted Sagar Dhankar and two of his friends at Delhi's Chhatrasal Stadium. Sagar succumbed to injuries later. Following Sushil and Ajay Kumar's arrest, the court had remanded them in six days police custody on May 23.
On being produced before the court at the end of the remand period Saturday, the Delhi Police moved an application seeking extension of custody by seven more days, stating that Sushil Kumar was the mastermind and several recoveries are yet to be made for which his interrogation is required.
Allowing their interrogation for only four days, Metropolitan Magistrate Mayank Goel said, "No one is above law and law treats everyone equally. Though the Constitution guarantees the right to life and liberty to all persons whether they are accused or not, but that right is also subject to certain exceptions."
The allegations against the accused persons are very grave and serious in nature, the court said, emphasising on the importance of the initial days of investigation to unearth the truth.
The judge said the involvement of a large number of persons, some of whom belong to some notorious gangs stationed in and outside Delhi, is also suspected and they are yet to be arrested .
"Moreover, certain recoveries i.e. mobile phone and clothes of accused persons are yet to be made. As such in the interest of justice I deem it appropriate to allow the application of 10 to the extent of four days only," the judge stated in the order.
During the course of the proceedings, Additional Public Prosecutor Ashish Kajal sought Sushil and Ajay's custody to confront them with other arrested co-accused, and recover mobile phones, clothes the Olympian was wearing during the brawl, and DVR of the CCTV cameras installed at his house.
Further, the prosecutor, representing the Delhi Police, said that the investigating agency seized seven vehicles from the spot which were used in the commission of the crime but only four vehicles have been linked due to evasive and non-cooperation of Sushil and Ajay Kumar.
He said their custody is required to link the remaining three vehicles with their users, apprehend other accused, identify their hideouts at Haridwar, Rishikesh and Ghaziabad and apprehend the persons who provided them help to evade arrest.
The international wrestler was arrested, along with co-accused Ajay Kumar, on May 23 from outer Delhi's Mundka area. They were evading arrest and had been on the run for nearly three weeks after the brawl.
Meanwhile, advocate Pradeep Rana, who represented Sushil Kumar, opposed the extension of police custody and said that the investigating agency has already recovered material evidence in the case and nothing more is to be recovered.
Rana further stated that the investigating agency is trying to veil their failure in completing the investigation by alleging that the accused persons are not cooperating.
He also accused the police of leaking selective information to the media to create a prejudice against Sushil Kumar.
"I am not saying the media should not be allowed. I am saying selective leak should not be allowed," he said.
The Delhi Police filed an FIR in the case under sections 302 (murder), 308 (culpable homicide), 365 (kidnapping), 325 (causing grievous hurt), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
It was also registered under sections 188 (Disobedience to order by public servant), 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease), 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 34 (common intention) of the IPC and various sections under the Arms Act.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
