Eatery owner held for lawyer’s murder on court premises

The dead lawyer was identified as Rajeev Sharma (40). Police said Sharma had gone to the eatery around 10.30 pm on Thursday for dinner. Scores of lawyers have lunch and dinner at the eatery.

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The food served to Sharma was allegedly cold. When he complained, the accused, who was allegedly in an inebriated condition, got angry and the two got into an argument. The accused then allegedly attacked the lawyer on his head with a stone used for grinding spices, resulting in his death.

“The accused then dumped the body a little distance away from the eatery and fled. Police arrested him on Friday,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Madhur Verma told Newsline.

Ram, who belongs to Jodhpur in Rajasthan, lives at a rented accommodation in Sant Nagar, Burari. The lawyer belonged to Himachal Pradesh and lived in Rohini. He was practising at the Tis Hazari Courts Complex for the last 15 years, police said.

The incident came to light around 7.30 am on Friday when a peon at the court found the body in a pool of blood in a lane housing lawyers’ chambers. The peon informed Bar association secretary D D Sharma, who informed the in-charge of the Tis Hazari police post.

Police said Sharma’s body was found only a few metres away from his chamber (T-30). There were bloodstains on the stairs of the eatery, suggesting that the body was dragged out of it and dumped there. There were wounds on the head caused by a blunt object.

Police said Sharma had spoken to his daughter around 8.30 pm on Thursday, telling her that he won’t be coming home that night due to office work. “Investigation revealed the lawyer had gone to Bhajanpura on Thursday afternoon with a client, from where he took an autorickshaw around 6.30 pm to return home. But instead of going home, he returned to his chamber,” a police officer said.

“We questioned people at the eatery for leads. Two employees were detained,” the officer said.

After sustained questioning, police came to know that it was Ram who allegedly killed the lawyer after a heated argument. “The accused allegedly slapped the lawyer after which the latter said he would complain against him. The accused then attacked him with a grinding stone,” the officer said.