New Delhi: A Delhi court has convicted a man for attempting to murder his wife by shooting her in the stomach outside a hospital in Connaught Place in 2018. The court ruled that the injured woman's testimony was credible and sufficient to establish his guilt.
Additional Sessions Judge Dhirendra Rana, in a judgment dated October 13, convicted the accused, identified as Sushant, under Section 307 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which deals with attempted murder, and Section 27 of the Arms Act, concerning the use of firearms.
However, the court acquitted him of the charge under Section 25 of the Arms Act, relating to illegal possession of a firearm. A separate case concerning possession of the pistol is pending before another court.
According to the prosecution, the incident occurred on November 24, 2018, outside Gate No. 5 of Kalawati Hospital in Connaught Place. The victim, Pinki, worked as a security guard at the hospital and had been living at her parental home since her husband was jailed in an unrelated case in 2015.
Pinki told the court that Sushant, who had been released from prison around six weeks before the incident, arrived at the hospital one evening and called her outside. He had parked an auto-rickshaw across the road, and she sat inside the vehicle while they spoke.
During the conversation, Sushant allegedly asked her whether she would return to her matrimonial home. When she refused, he shot her in the stomach and fled the scene.
The victim underwent an operation on the same day, remained hospitalised for approximately a month and had to undergo four surgeries within a short period.
The court relied on testimony from hospital staff, CCTV footage and other evidence to establish the sequence of events. The auto-rickshaw owner testified that he had handed the vehicle to Sushant on the day of the incident. The vehicle was later found abandoned near the scene with bloodstains.
Forensic analysis subsequently matched the blood sample collected from the vehicle with Pinki's DNA, providing further support for the prosecution's case.
The judge observed that the testimony of an injured witness carries considerable evidentiary value because it establishes the person's presence at the scene. The court also noted that the defence had failed to provide any convincing reason why Pinki would falsely implicate her husband, apart from suggesting a matrimonial dispute.
The judge concluded that the prosecution had proved beyond reasonable doubt that Sushant attempted to murder his wife because she refused to return to him.
Arguments on the quantum of sentence will be heard on a later date.
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