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17 years on, attempt to murder case against Madhu Kishwar quashed by Delhi HC

The court said it appears to be a “maliciously motivated counterblast for wreaking vengeance”.

According to Kishwar, she was authorised to monitor civil discipline in the area and report unauthorised construction.

Seventeen years after academician and commentator Madhu Kishwar was accused of attempted murder, the Delhi High Court has quashed the FIR and subsequent criminal proceedings.

Justice Amit Mahajan, in an order on October 10, reasoned that the FIR Kishwar is facing “appears to be in the nature of defence and a maliciously motivated counter blast… for wreaking vengeance upon (Kishwar).”

“Even if the allegations of the complainant are taken at the highest, considering the complainant’s conviction in a case arising out of same incident, the same can at best be considered as a self defence or an altercation… when the complainant formed an unlawful assembly and caused injuries to the petitioner and another person when they were carrying out certain functions assigned to them,” Justice Mahajan observed, while setting aside the criminal proceedings.

An FIR was lodged in 2008 at KM Pur police station for offences under IPC sections 307 (attempt to murder), 323 (grievous hurt), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 34 (common intention). The complainant had alleged that she and her sons were cheated by Kishwar on the pretext of allotment of shops in Seva Nagar Model Market. When the complainant had demanded her money back, Kishwar had allegedly instructed her driver to run over her.

When the complainant’s son and grandson had come to her aid, they were allegedly beaten up. Kishwar, however, had argued that the FIR was a counterblast to an FIR she had lodged in 2007 for unlawful assembly.

According to Kishwar, she was authorised to monitor civil discipline in the area and report unauthorised construction. Kishwar had alleged that a certain area had been taken over illegally by a gang which was headed by the son of the complainant, due to which the complainant had a vested interest against the petitioner.
Kishwar also alleged that she was assaulted by the complainant and others. The case resulted in conviction of the complainant in 2019.

Sohini Ghosh

Sohini Ghosh is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express. Previously based in Ahmedabad covering Gujarat, she recently moved to the New Delhi bureau, where she primarily covers legal developments at the Delhi High Court Professional Profile Background: An alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), she previously worked with ET NOW before joining The Indian Express. Core Beats: Her reporting is currently centered on the Delhi High Court, with a focus on high-profile constitutional disputes, disputes over intellectual property, criminal and civil cases, issues of human rights and regulatory law (especially in the areas of technology and healthcare). Earlier Specialty: In Gujarat, she was known for her rigorous coverage in the beats of crime, law and policy, and social justice issues, including the 2002 riot cases, 2008 serial bomb blast case, 2016 flogging of Dalits in Una, among others. She has extensively covered health in the state, including being part of the team that revealed the segregation of wards at the state’s largest government hospital on lines of faith in April 2020. With Ahmedabad being a UNESCO heritage city, she has widely covered urban development and heritage issues, including the redevelopment of the Sabarmati Ashram Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent reporting from the Delhi High Court covers major political, constitutional, corporate, and public-interest legal battles: High-Profile Case Coverage She has extensively covered the various legal battles - including for compensation under the aegis of North East Delhi Riots Claims Commission - pertaining to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, as well as 1984 anti-Sikh riots. She has also led coverage at the intersection of technology and governance, and its impact on the citizenry, from, and beyond courtrooms — such as the government’s stakeholder consultations for framing AI-Deepfake policy. Signature Style Sohini is recognized for her sustained reporting from courtrooms and beyond. She specialises in breaking down dense legal arguments to make legalese accessible for readers. Her transition from Gujarat to Delhi has seen her expand her coverage on regulatory, corporate and intellectual property law, while maintaining a strong commitment to human rights and lacuna in the criminal justice system. X (Twitter): @thanda_ghosh ... Read More

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