A Delhi court has directed the framing of charges against two men accused of attempting to attack Chief Minister Rekha Gupta during a public hearing. The court observed that the main accused appeared well prepared with an intention to kill. The incident occurred on August 20 at her camp office.
The Tis Hazari court in Delhi, through Additional Sessions Judge Ekta Gauba Mann, issued its order on Saturday directing charges to be framed against Rajeshbhai Khimjibhai Sakariya, aged 41 from Rajkot, and his accomplice Tehsin Raza, also from Rajkot. The charges include attempt to murder, obstruction of a public servant in discharging duties, using criminal force to deter public servants, and criminal conspiracy. Sakariya was arrested at the scene, while Raza was apprehended four days later, with police stating he was aware of the plan.
The incident took place on August 20 during a Jan Sunwai public hearing at Chief Minister Rekha Gupta's Civil Lines camp office. Delhi Police filed a 429-page chargesheet in October, detailing that Sakariya acted after dreaming that dogs in Delhi were suffering. He was reportedly upset over Gupta's support for the Supreme Court's August 11 order mandating the relocation of stray dogs from Delhi-NCR streets to shelters within eight weeks.
In her ruling, Judge Mann observed that Sakariya came "in a very calculated and well prepared manner to attack upon the victim with an intention to kill." Referencing Shakespeare's Hamlet on women's frailty, she emphasized that the law protects all women equally, from domestic helps to chief ministers, punishing wrongdoers severely. "The law of the country is that justice empowers every woman... and punishes the wrongdoer with an iron hand," the court stated.
Sources indicate that during the previous hearing, Sakariya claimed he loved animals and could not control his aggression, leading to the attack.