Woman advocate’s ‘assault’ by husband: Supreme Court orders transfer of probe to senior officer, Rs 3 lakh interim compensation
Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi further directed the investigating officer to also look into the aspect of the woman being taken to four hospitals before finally being admitted to AIIMS New Delhi.
The bench was hearing the septuagenarian’s appeal challenging the June 28, 2017, Kerala High Court order which failed to grant him the reliefs prayed for.
The Supreme Court on Monday, taking suo motu cognisance of a case of assault of a woman advocate who was allegedly stabbed several times by her husband, directed the Delhi Police Commissioner to handover the probe “to a fairly senior officer, preferably a woman officer”.
Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi further directed the investigating officer to also look into the aspect of the woman being taken to four hospitals before finally being admitted to AIIMS New Delhi. Of the four other hospitals, three of them — GTB Hospital, Kailash Deepak Hospital, and R K Hospital — allegedly refused admission, while the fourth, Jag Pravesh Hospital, only provided her first aid before referring her to another hospital.
The bench also directed the National Legal Services Authority, through its Member Secretary, to release an interim sum of Rs 3 lakh in favour of the woman, taking into account that she is “seemingly in dire need of financial assistance, especially to undergo treatment and to look after her minor daughters”.
The victim has three daughters, aged 12, four, and one. The bench also recorded that the woman’s in-laws took away the four-year-old and one-year-old, while the eldest was allegedly abandoned outside the house by the accused husband and was subsequently recovered by the police and is currently in the custody of the woman’s family.
The top court directed the police to find out the whereabouts of the other two children. “If they are being well taken care of and looked after by their paternal grandmother, the current arrangement can continue till appropriate directions are issued on the next date of hearing,” the SC bench directed, while directing that the eldest daughter can continue in the maternal family’s custody.
Advocate on record Sneha Kalita, in a letter dated April 25, received in the office of the Chief Justice of India on April 26, sought urgent intervention of the apex court in the case, including the grant of compensation under the Compensation Scheme for Women Victims of the National Legal Services Authority, leading to the court instituting the suo motu case.
The victim is currently undergoing treatment at AIIMS.
The court also appointed Kalita as amicus curiae to assist in the matter.
Story continues below this ad
The victim was allegedly assaulted with a sharp-edged weapon, resulting in multiple injuries to vital parts of her body on April 22. Her husband, the prime suspect in the case, was arrested in the intervening night of April 25 and 26 after an FIR was registered at Khajuri Khas police station.
The complaint file in the case also contains allegations against the victim’s in-laws. The court, however, recorded that they appear to be absconding. It will hear the matter next on May 11.
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
