Witness hurls shoe after judge acquits accused

A shoe was hurled at a judge during the court proceedings while pronouncing of a judgment in a murder case in south Delhi's Saket court on Friday.

Manoj Kumar, a resident of New Friends Colony, was a witness in the case and threw the shoe when Additional Sessions Judge Lokesh Kumar Sharma acquitted the accused. According to a member of the Saket Bar Association, the incident took place in the afternoon following which Kumar was taken into custody by the Naib court.

"It was a murder case in which the judge had acquitted the accused. This man, who was present in the court when the judgment was pronounced, got angry and hurled his shoe towards the judge. It hit him on his shoulders," said a senior member of the bar association told DNA. Police said that an FIR has been registered in connection to the matter. "A case has been registered under sections 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions) and 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) of the Indian Penal Code at Saket police station based on the statement of the judge," Additional DCP Chinmoy Biswas said.

Meanwhile, just four days before he was set to become permanent judge of a trial court, the Delhi High court terminated the services of Nitesh Gupta, a probationary judicial officer. The decision was taken by the High Court on August 10. According to the Registrar General Dinesh Sharma, no reason was required to be given to Gupta for terminating his services as he was on probation. The decision was communicated to the District Judge of Patiala House Court, where Gupta was undergoing training for further action.

The High Court on July 28 had passed an order posting and transferring 70 DJS officers, including Gupta. He was slated to take charge as a Metropolitan Magistrate in Tis Hazari court from August 14 to hear cases pertaining to the Negotiable Instruments Act.