High Court Rejects Plea To Restrain "Media Trial" Of Wrestler Sushil Kumar

Chhatrasal Stadium Brawl: Sushil Kumar and his associates allegedly assaulted wrestler Sagar Dhankar (23) and two of his friends, Sonu and Amit Kumar, at the Chhatrasal stadium in Delhi on the intervening night of May 4 and 5. Sagar succumbed to the injuries later.

The Delhi High Court today declined to entertain a plea to restrain the media from allegedly "sensationalising" the trial of wrestler and Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar in connection with the death of a 23-year old man, and seeking rules for reporting criminal cases, saying a plea cannot be filed for an individual who is a "vigilant person". A bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh said the petition has been filed on behalf of a "vigilant person" - Sushil Kumar - claiming that media has allegedly defamed him by its reportage of the murder case in which he is an accused. "You cannot file a PIL for an individual. We see no reason to entertain litigation on behalf of a vigilant person," the court said and disposed of the plea by a law student. The law student had alleged that Sushil Kumar's career and reputation has been damaged by the media's reporting of the case against him in connection with the Chhatrasal Stadium brawl that led to the death of the 23-year-old wrestler.