A 49-year-old debarred lawyer fired four rounds at a woman and wounded 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.
A man who works as a 'munshi' in the court was also injured in the firing that occurred around 10.30 am.
The police said the suspended lawyer, Kameshwar Singh alias Manoj Singh, a resident of Durga Ashram in Chhatarpur, was arrested from a house in Faridabad where he was hiding after the incident. He has been booked under IPC Section 307 (attempt to murder) and sections of the Arms Act.
Singh had filed a case of cheating against the woman, M Radha (42), and her lawyer Rajendra Jha over a monetary dispute involving Rs 25 lakh. The hearing was scheduled for Friday, the police said.
Videos of the incident showed Singh and Radha having an argument outside the lawyers' block in the court complex and the man pulling out a gun and running after her. He fired two rounds from a close range at the woman, who scrambled to move away from him screaming for help. The man then fired two more rounds.
People present there ran in panic and one of them could be heard saying, "Someone, save the woman".
Singh then moved inside the lawyer's block and escaped through the back entrance of the building.
Radha was taken away by people and security personnel present there.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Chandan Chowdhary said Radha was shot in her abdomen and a hand. She was admitted to Max Hospital in Saket for treatment initially but was later shifted to AIIMS.
Sharing a video of the incident on Twitter, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal 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, one 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 on Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena, saying he should take responsibility for the incident as the Delhi police reported 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 are involved in Rs 350-crore corruption," he tweeted in Hindi.
The police said they have increased the number of barricades inside the court complex and deployed additional paramilitary forces. The security personnel deployed there claimed not many lawyers get themselves frisked. Some lawyers, however, called for a strict vigil at the entry gates and through frisking of everyone.
Arun Ramaswamy, Radha's husband, said he dropped her off around 10 am at the Saket court for a hearing in the case and was later informed by a phone call that she was fired upon and wounded.
Jha, her lawyer, said he was inside the court and called Radha, who was in the lawyers' block, to come to the court. When she came out of the lawyers' block, Singh fired bullets, Jha added.
The police said CCTV footage showed Singh firing four rounds and escaping on a two-wheeler, which has been found.
Special Commissioner of Police (Crime) Ravindra Yadav said Singh told them he had given a loan of Rs 25 lakh to Radha but she did not pay the amount.
On his complaint, a case was registered against Radha and she was arrested in December 2022. After she got conditional bail from Delhi high court, he asked her to return the money but she refused, the police said.
Singh had warned Radha that if she did not return the money he would kill her in court. They had an argument over the issue on Friday, when they gathered for mediation, and Singh took the licensed revolver of his private security guard and opened fire on Radha, the police added.
Singh was barred from practising law by the Delhi Bar Council following allegations of fraud and threatening another woman, Prem Lata. The woman, an advocate herself, had filed a case under IPC Section 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) against Singh in 2016 at Mehrauli police station.
Saket Court Bar Association president Vinod Sharma confirmed Singh's membership was suspended.
In 2021, jailed gangster Jitendra Gogi was shot dead by two men posing as lawyers inside a crowded Rohini courtroom.
