The police, who filed an FIR in July 2020, alleged that the issue pertained to some portion of the victim’s salary not being paid. (representative image)
A Delhi court last Saturday convicted a woman for attempting to commit culpable homicide after her pet dog attacked her former employee in Malviya Nagar in 2020, after she asked for her salary.
According to the Delhi Police, Rajani Singh, a resident of Malviya Nagar, provoked her pet dog to attack the complainant, Sapna, causing her face to be disfigured.
“When a person keeps a dog within a confined residential space and knowingly leaves an unfamiliar person alone with the animal, while others remain safe, it suggests a conscious act or, at the very least, a deliberate disregard of an obvious and imminent danger,” said Additional Sessions Judge Samar Vishal of Saket Court in his order.
“One more fact of importance is that at the relevant time there were four to five other persons present in the house and yet the dog did not attack any one of them, except the complainant, which is a circumstance which cannot be brushed aside lightly. This fact does indicate, to some extent, that the incident was not a random or wholly uncontrolled act of the animal,” he added.
Judge Vishal said Rajani “voluntarily left the dog in close proximity to the complainant”, who was not familiar with the animal. “The complainant has said in evidence that the accused locked the room in which she was present with the dog. The accused was fully aware of the presence of the complainant in the room and of the temperament and potential of the dog,” the judge said.
The police, who filed an FIR in July 2020, alleged that the issue pertained to some portion of the victim’s salary not being paid. When Sapna went to Rajani’s residence in June 2020, requesting payment of her outstanding salary, Rajani allegedly made an indecent and unlawful demand, and instigated and provoked her pet dog to attack her.
Following the attack, two of Sapna’s teeth were allegedly dislodged and fell out, and there were severe injuries on her face.
To build the case, the police primarily relied on Sapna’s testimony and medical evidence.
“The testimony of an eyewitness, if found to be credible and trustworthy, carries significant evidentiary value and cannot be discarded without cogent reasons. It is well settled that a conviction can be sustained on the basis of the sole testimony of a victim or an eyewitness, provided it inspires full confidence of the court,” the judge said.
“In the present case, the testimony of the complainant stands amply corroborated by unimpeachable medical evidence, including the opinion of the Medical Board of AIIMS, which conclusively establishes the nature, seat and severity of the injuries,” ASJ Vishal added.
Nirbhay Thakur is a Senior Correspondent with The Indian Express who primarily covers district courts in Delhi and has reported on the trials of many high-profile cases since 2023.
Professional Background
Education: Nirbhay is an economics graduate from Delhi University.
Beats: His reporting spans the trial courts, and he occasionally interviews ambassadors and has a keen interest in doing data stories.
Specializations: He has a specific interest in data stories related to courts.
Core Strength: Nirbhay is known for tracking long-running legal sagas and providing meticulous updates on high-profile criminal trials.
Recent notable articles
In 2025, he has written long form articles and two investigations. Along with breaking many court stories, he has also done various exclusive stories.
1) A long form on Surender Koli, accused in the Nithari serial killings of 2006. He was acquitted after spending 2 decades in jail. was a branded man. Deemed the “cannibal" who allegedly lured children to his employer’s house in Noida, murdered them, and “ate their flesh” – his actions cited were cited as evidence of human depravity at its worst. However, the SC acquitted him finding various lapses in the investigation. The Indian Express spoke to his lawyers and traced the 2 decades journey.
2) For decades, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has been at the forefront of the Government’s national rankings, placed at No. 2 over the past two years alone. It has also been the crucible of campus activism, its protests often spilling into national debates, its student leaders going on to become the faces and voices of political parties of all hues and thoughts. The Indian Express looked at all court cases spanning over two decades and did an investigation.
3) Investigation on the 700 Delhi riots cases. The Indian Express found that in 17 of 93 acquittals (which amounted to 85% of the decided cases) in Delhi riots cases, courts red-flag ‘fabricated’ evidence and pulled up the police.
Signature Style
Nirbhay’s writing is characterized by its procedural depth. He excels at summarizing 400-page chargesheets and complex court orders into digestible news for the general public.
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