Woman shot and injured inside Saket court in Delhi over monetary dispute

Representative image. Pic/Istock

A man dressed as a lawyer fired multiple rounds at a woman and injured her in the Saket court complex in south Delhi on Friday, triggering panic inside the premises and raising questions about law and order in the national capital.

Police said the man, a former advocate at the Saket court, had filed a case of cheating against the woman over a monetary dispute involving Rs 25 lakh and the hearing in the case was scheduled for Friday.

Videos of the incident showed the man and the woman having an argument outside a building in the court complex and the man pulling out a gun and running after her. He fires two rounds from a close range at the woman, who scrambles to move away from him screaming for help. The man then fires a third round. People present there ran in panic and one of them could be heard saying "someone save the woman".

The man them moves inside the building and the woman is taken away by people and security personnel present there. Eyewitnesses said at least two more rounds were fired during the incident around 10.30 am.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Chandan Chowdhary said the woman, M Radha (aged above 40), was shot in her abdomen and a hand. She was admitted to Max Hospital in Saket and her condition is stable.

The attacker managed to escape through the back entry in the building and teams have been formed to nab him. "He had lodged a case under IPC Section 420 (cheating) against the victim and advocate Rajendra Jha," Chowdhary said.

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After the incident, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said in a tweet that law and order in the national capital has completely broken down. Sharing a video of the incident, he asked, "LG sir, what's happening in our Delhi."

In another tweet in Hindi, he said, "The law and order situation in Delhi has completely broken down. Instead of obstructing the work of others and doing dirty politics on everything, everyone should focus on their own work. If one cannot handle it, they should resign and let someone else take care of it. The safety of the people cannot be left to god's will."

AAP chief spokesperson and cabinet minister Saurabh Bharadwaj too trained his gun at Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena, saying he should take responsibility for the incident as Delhi Police report to him.

"The LG has only two jobs -- Police and DDA. After the arrival of the new LG sir, the law and order situation in Delhi has gotten worse. Guns are fired in courts. The police is involved in Rs 350-crore corruption," he tweeted in Hindi.

A police source said the accused was an advocate who was suspended by the Saket Court Bar Association. He had allegedly loaned Rs 25 lakh on interest to the woman and she was defaulting on repayment.

Saket Court Bar Association president Vinod Sharma confirmed the accused's membership was suspended by the bar association. He condemned the incident, saying no person should take the law into their hands and people in the legal profession should especially ensure that.

In 2021, jailed gangster Jitendra Gogi was shot dead by two men posing as lawyers inside a crowded Rohini courtroom.

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