CM Rekha Gupta’s attacker’s health stable, say Tihar jail officials

The response comes after the court had directed the jail in the last hearing to furnish a status report as to why sufficient medical treatment had not been provided.

NEW DELHI: Tihar jail authorities on Saturday informed a Delhi court that adequate medical attention has been provided to the accused who allegedly assaulted Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta in August this year.

Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta (HT photo)

The response comes after the court had directed the jail in the last hearing to furnish a status report as to why sufficient medical treatment had not been provided to Rajeshbhai Khimjibhai Sakaria, despite his repeated pleas for medical attention.

Sakaria, through his counsel, advocate Pradeep Khatri, had claimed that he had been suffering from consistent eye problems ever since his spectacles broke after being overpowered by security personnel during the assault incident.

In its response, the Tihar jail authorities told the court that Sakaria had now been examined by the duty doctor for his eye problem and has been provided medication from the jail dispensary, adding that his condition is now stable.

Meanwhile, judicial magistrate First Class Kartik Taparia of Tis Hazari Courts committed the case to the sessions court during Saturday’s hearing, marking the initiation of trial and fixed the next date of hearing to November 10. The court has already taken cognisance of the 400-page charge sheet in the matter.

HT previously reported that the charge sheet, filed on October 18, claimed that Sakaria was purportedly angered by CM Gupta after she refused to oppose the Supreme Court’s decision on relocating stray dogs, an order that was later changed.

As per the charge sheet, Sakaria was angered on August 20 when Gupta told him that the matter was decided by the Supreme Court and her government would abide by it. Moments later, he allegedly lunged forward and assaulted her before being restrained by security personnel.

Police had said that he arrived in Delhi from Rajkot a day before the attack. He checked into the Gujarati Samaj guest house in Civil Lines, from where he allegedly carried out a recce of the CM’s official residence in Shalimar Bagh and her Civil Lines camp office to study the security arrangements.