Olympic Champion Sushil Kumar charged with the murder of rival wrestler Sagar Dhankhad

A lawyer for Indian wrestler and two-time Olympic medalist, Sushil Kumar, said his client would stand trial for allegedly killing a fellow wrestler during a fight in a stadium last year.

A court in New Delhi charged 17 individuals, including Kumar, for their role in the death of Sagar Dhankar, a long-time rival.

The court ruled there was enough evidence to prosecute Kumar, who has maintained he is innocent and a victim of a police conspiracy.

According to prosecutors, the 39-year-old wrestler was the main suspect and a “kingpin’ in the plot to murder Dhankar.

Kumar was arrested after a week long manhunt. He has been charged with murder, kidnapping, rioting and use of a deadly weapon. Two other suspects are still at large who prosectors allege were also involved.

The incident and murder, prosecutors allege, occurred outside Chhatrasal, a Delhi stadium after an event where individuals from both parties began a fight which escalated into the melee.

Prosecutors have announced they have an authenticated video which shows the former junior wrestler, being beaten by Kumar and his friends with clubs and other weapons who then left the victim to die.

“We will disprove the allegations before the court,” said Pardeep Rana the lawyer representing Kumar. Kumar is being held in a separate cell at New Delhi’s Tihar prison for security reasons.

Kumar is one of India’s most decorated athletes. In addition to being World Champion in 2010, he has won two individual Olympic medals, a silver in the London 2012 Olympics and a bronze in Beijing 2008. He is also a three-time Commonwealth Champion and was named 2009 Athlete of the year in India.